Remember Me?
by Eleri McCleod
Summary: A new vampire comes to town in search of the Slayer. Unfortunately, the Slayer doesn't know who she is.
1. Prologue

Remember Me?  
  
By Eleri McCleod  
  
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Discaimer: We all know who created the Buffy characters and the Slayer's world. And we all know that it wasn't me. But thanks to Joss Whedon for letting me play in his world.  
  
Author's notes: Critique, critique, critique! Enough said. Thanks. I wrote this one a long time ago, but it's still one of my favorites.  
  
Season: This story occurs between "Ted" and "Bad Eggs."  
  
Summary: A new vampire comes to town in search of the Slayer. Unfortunately, the Slayer doesn't know who she is.  
  
(c) October 1999, Eleri McCleod  
  
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*****  
  
Prologue  
  
*****  
  
The moon shone bright overhead, illuminating the pale shapes of the headstones. Crickets chirped and owls hooted, ignoring the two figures moving silently through the cemetery.  
  
"Penny for your thoughts?" Angel's gentle voice broke through the stillness.  
  
Buffy glanced up at the vampire at her side. "Who needs dates?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"You heard me. Who needs a boring old movie-type date when they could be walking in the moonlight, holding hands with a gorgeous guy, waiting for evil things to stake?" She looked around, automatically searching for said evil things. "Life just doesn't get better than this."  
  
He stopped moving, chuckling. "Only you." Buffy halted also when their connected hands wouldn't let her go any further. "Only you could see our strange lives in such a positive way." He tugged her closer, other hand coming up to gently cup her cheek. "You're amazing."  
  
She gazed into his eyes, mesmerized by the love shining in them. "I'm not the amazing one," she whispered, leaning into his body. "I'm the Chosen One. I *have* to do all of this. You do it because you want to. That's more amazing than anything I can do."  
  
He smiled down softly at her. "If that's what you want to think." Then he lowered his head the rest of the way to meet her warm lips. Something seemed to expand in his chest, filling him, making his throat go tight. He never failed to be thrown by the depth of his feelings for this girl, this Slayer. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight against his body, knowing that he could never have enough of her.  
  
Buffy let the emotions pour over her, washing her in Angel's love, his tenderness. Her eyes fluttered open as he slowly ended the kiss.  
  
"I told you," he whispered, stroking her face. "Amazing."  
  
She smiled up at him. "You're just prejudiced." Then her Slayer senses kicked in. "Duck!"  
  
Only Angel's lightning fast reflexes and Buffy's warning saved him from becoming dust as the vampire behind him fell forward and lost his grip on the tree branch he swung, caught off guard by their quick reactions.  
  
She grabbed the vamp's arm and yanked him over her hip into a headstone. "Angel?"  
  
"I'm okay. You keep this one, I've got his buddy." Angel vamped out as he moved to meet the other vampire.  
  
"You know," the Slayer said quite calmly as she began pummeling the vamp in front of her. She started with a left hook. "I'm really getting tired ..." straight leg kick "... of you guys interrupting ..." knee in gut, uppercut to jaw "... my smoochie moments." Roundhouse punch. "We don't get that many of them ..." flying kick with a chaser of crescent in-to-out "...and you seem to stop all of them." She paused, taking in her handiwork. The vamp was sprawled on the grass, staring at her in fear. "I know this doesn't help you any." She pulled a stake from her belt. "But I feel better."  
  
She moved over the vamp, stake at the ready, totally unprepared for the vicious kick to her chest he delivered. Buffy stumbled back, tripping over the vamp's broken tree limb. "Hey!" she cried indignantly, unable to maintain her balance. "You're not supposed to do -"  
  
Her words were cut off by a sharp crack, the crack of her skull smashing against the edge of a gravestone.  
  
Angel turned at the unexpected sound. "Buffy!" he cried, seeing her lie unmoving.  
  
Buffy's vamp smiled evilly. "Just the way I like Slayers." He moved over her, unconcerned with the struggle continuing behind him.  
  
Growling, Angel gripped his vamp by the throat and threw him against a tree ten feet away with a conveniently placed branch. The vamp let out half a yell before dusting the grass around him.  
  
He whirled to face the other vamp, deadly soft voice carrying easily across the short distance. "Get away from her."  
  
The vamp jerked around, petrified, eyes searching for his buddy. Not seeing him, he focused on the enraged vampire before him. "Angelus."  
  
"You don't really want to mess with *me*, do you?"  
  
The vamp didn't even answer, just turned and ran.  
  
Angel grabbed up the Slayer's dropped stake and threw it after the fleeing figure, neatly impaling him. A moment later all that remained was a dust cloud floating gracefully to the ground. "I didn't think so."  
  
"Buffy?" Devamping, he ran to kneel at her side, one hand moving to feel for the pulse in her throat, the other resting gently on her chest over her so-generous heart. He was glad, in that moment, that he didn't have to breathe because the fist tightened around his chest wouldn't have let him, even if he had wanted to.  
  
"Come on, Buffy."  
  
His eyes closed involuntarily as he felt the strong beating against both hands. "Thank you." He didn't know whom he was speaking to, but anyone listening seemed good enough.  
  
Ever so gently he pulled her onto his lap, cradled in his arms. "Come on," he repeated. "Open those beautiful eyes and smile at me." With his right hand he felt carefully over the back of her head for blood. He didn't smell any, but that didn't mean it wasn't there. Finding nothing but a large lump, the fist around his chest loosened some more. "Okay. A little better," he told himself aloud. He stroked her cheek softly. Whether to bring her around or to comfort himself, he wasn't sure.  
  
A low moan escaped Buffy's lips and her brow tightened in pain.  
  
"That's it, come on. Come back to me." He kissed her forehead and looked down to see her eyes open and on him. "Hey. How you feeling?"  
  
Buffy stared at him. "Okay, I think. My head feels like someone's pounding on it with a hammer, but other than that I'm just peachy."  
  
"You hit a headstone on your way down." She looked pale to him. He cupped her face and tilted it to the moonlight. "Blink a few times. I need to watch your pupils." She did. He was relieved to see them contract a little with the light from the bright moon, but he wanted another test. "How many fingers?"  
  
She gave him a weird look. "Two. Are you done now, Doctor-boy? I feel fine." She pushed away from him and started to stand up.  
  
A little hurt by her coldness, Angel didn't help as she made her way to her feet. She just got the crap beat out of her, he told himself, disgusted with his lack of understanding. Give the Slayer a little slack, man.  
  
She took a deep breath and sat on the headstone that had done its best to crack her head open. "Now don't take this the wrong way, especially after your, uh, doctor bit, but, um, who are you?"  
  
He could only stare at her, eyes wide.  
  
"I mean, I'm grateful and all, but I do like to know who's groping me."  
  
She's serious, Angel thought. "You don't know me?"  
  
She snorted. "Deaf a little? Duh, I just said that! Maybe *you* need your head checked." She looked Angel up and down quickly. "Believe me, I would know if I'd met you before."  
  
"Uh, Angel. I-I'm Angel." He felt his legs give way and leaned against a nearby gravestone.  
  
"Angel, huh? Okay, cool." She finally focused on their surroundings. "Eew. Why am I in a cemetery?" She jumped off the headstone, on her face a look he'd seen numerous times on Cordelia's.  
  
Buffy glanced at her watch. "I've got to get home. My dad's gonna kill me!" She turned to go.  
  
"Buffy, wait!" Angel was at her side in a heartbeat. She blinked at him, wondering how he could move that fast.  
  
"Dude, lay off the intense-pills, okay? You got your thanks, now I have got to go."  
  
He put a hand on her arm. "What year is it?"  
  
"Duh," she gave him a classic Cordelia "Loser" look. "1995. What year is it where you live?" She yanked her arm away and started to go again.  
  
"It's 1997," he quietly told her back. "You're not in LA. You're in Sunnydale." She has no memory of the past two years. No memory of *us*, he told himself, in shock.  
  
"Now I'm *really* out of here." She backed away this time. "You are just a little too psycho for me." He is gorgeous, she thought. Too bad he's a schizo.  
  
"Buffy, look at the markers." He pointed to a headstone from 1996. Then to another. Then to one from 1997.  
  
She gave him an appeasing look. "Okay. I'm looking, I'm looking, I'm loo..." then it sank in "...king." She turned to him, eyes wide, a lost look on her face. "Wha-?"  
  
"It'll be alright, Buffy," he reassured her. "Let's go see Giles. He'll know what we should do." He slowly walked over to her, as if trying to calm a skittish horse. She might not know who she was, but she still had all the power of the Slayer.  
  
She stared at him. "Giles. I guess that name's supposed to do the meaning thing with me." Buffy felt her heart trying to pound bruises into her chest. She frantically searched her mind and came up with nothing. The man in front of her was no more recognizable than he had been all of five minutes ago. And this 'Giles?' Not a even flicker.  
  
"Okay. Let's, uh, le-let's go see Giles." She swallowed and stared at the hand Angel was extending towards her. Slowly, her hand moved to take it. Why are you doing this, she asked herself, not understanding why she felt she could trust him. A small shiver of reaction went through her at the contact. Oh. That's why. Her eyes flew up to meet Angel's and she knew he had felt it too.  
  
He gave her a gentle smile as he squeezed her hand. "It'll be alright, Buffy. We'll make it alright."  
  
She knew the words were supposed to be comforting. They did anything but. Buffy took one last look around the cemetery then allowed Angel to lead her away. 


	2. Part 1

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A special thanks to my mom: for reading, supporting, and making some damn good suggestions.  
  
(c) October 1999, Eleri McCleod  
  
========================================================  
  
*****  
  
Part 1  
  
*****  
  
Giles carried his teacup to the couch, careful not to spill any of the hot Earl Grey. It was turning out to be a dull slayage week and he was actually looking forward to a nice, calm Friday evening of tea and reading.  
  
"There's nothing like a cup of Earl Grey." The hot sip soothed its way down his throat, eliciting an un-librarian-like moan of pleasure. The cup had almost made its way to the saucer on the coffee table in front of him when a harsh knocking shattered the silence.  
  
"Bloody Hell!" he shouted as his fingers were scalded. The knock was repeated while he finished putting the cup down and dried his fingers. "Who could that-" The thought stopped halfway to the door.  
  
"Buffy!"  
  
Running the rest of the way, he threw the door open only to gape at the two figures standing before him. "I say," he said in that British way of his. "Is everything alright?" Giles's gaze flicked back and forth between the two. Buffy said nothing, unusual enough to give him warning that something was wrong.  
  
"Giles," Angel started, the look on his face cueing a disturbing rumbling in the Brit's midsection. "You'll want to sit down."  
  
Oh yes. Something was *very* wrong. Giles led the way to the couch and its accompanying chairs. "Alright, I'm sitting. What's wrong?" He braced himself for the worst he could think of: Spike, Dru and the Master all alive and ready for revenge against a particular Slayer. The reality was worse.  
  
"Buffy doesn't remember anything about us," the vampire said, looking the Watcher hard in the eye. "*Anything.*"  
  
Giles' face drained of all color. "Good Lord." He jumped up to pace, pulling off his glasses in worried-Giles-mode. "This, uh, this is, well, catastrophic."  
  
"I was going with 'really bad,' but I guess that works, too!" Angel shot him a warning glance and nodded at the Slayer, who hadn't looked at either of them since sitting down.  
  
"Oh! Yes, sorry." He returned to his chair, glasses firmly back in place. "I was just, uh, shocked. What happened?"  
  
Angel looked over at Buffy simply staring at her hands in her lap. "We ran into two vamp-, uh, *guys* and she got her head knocked into a marble gravestone."  
  
"Oh, dear," he said quietly. "Well, I-I-I suppose we should break it to her?" Giles' statement was definitely a question. His face had "how?" written all over it.  
  
The vampire sighed heavily. "Do you have any pictures here? Anything of the group? That might be the easiest way to start, you know, before..."  
  
"Quite. Good idea. I'll get the album." Giles paused a moment to look at Buffy, who had lifted her head and was staring around uncertainly. "Right." They never gave me any classes on *this,* his mind insisted, trying to deny the possibility. Then the Watcher made a mental note to have it added to the lessons for all future Watchers. What do we do now?  
  
Downstairs, Angel shifted a little closer to the unusually silent Buffy. "How you doing?"  
  
"Well, let's recap. I seem to have lost the last two years of my life, I'm surrounded by men I don't know and for some reason I've taken up hanging out in graveyards, but, hey, other than that I'm just fine." There was no way to miss the sarcasm laced through her words. And no way to miss the tears shimmering in her eyes.  
  
"Oh, please, Buffy. Don't do that." He couldn't help himself. She didn't know him, didn't remember him, but he couldn't leave her sitting there in misery on her own. He reached for her, pulling her into his arms, holding her tight. His battered heart shivered slightly when she didn't respond to his touch, merely sat stiffly. "I'm so sorry. I wish there was something I could do to bring all of your memories back. Or-or to turn back the clock, but I can't. All I can do is be there for you. Please, let me. Don't push me away." His last words were whispered in her ear, shivering their way down her spine.  
  
Buffy relaxed into his embrace, unable to stop herself. Then she realized she didn't want to stop. There was something about him, this Angel, that was like coming home. He was so different than the boys she knew. He was obviously older, all it took was a look at his face to figure that one out. But there was also a maturity, a sense of self that seemed to belie the age of his features. What circumstances had thrown them together, a high school teenager and a full-grown man? When he touched her, she felt a sense of peace that was also filled with excitement. His arms around her felt so *right* that she wondered if she would always know him, whatever face he wore, whatever memory she didn't have.  
  
Her tears dried without falling, comforted by this stranger's arms. But is he really a stranger, she asked herself. He seemed to know me pretty well at the cemetery. She pulled slightly away from him, to see into his eyes. "We know each other well, right? I-I mean, we're friends."  
  
He gazed down at her. "Yes, we're friends. We have been for two years now."  
  
Two years. That's why he seemed so familiar, yet she didn't know him. There had to be more to their relationship, though. The expression on his face when she had woken up hadn't been that of a worried friend. "And, uh," the words stuck in her throat, unable to be pushed out. She took a breath and tried again. "We, uh, that is, uh, you and me..." Buffy stared into his eyes, embarrassment creeping into her cheeks. "Forget it." She jumped up. "Just forget I said anything."  
  
Angel almost smiled. This was more like the Buffy he knew, not that freaky cross of Cordelia and Buffy he'd seen at the graveyard. He caught her hand before she could get more than a step away. He rose, still holding her hand. "Yes, Buffy. We are. You and me." He did smile this time. "For a long time now." He leaned close and lightly kissed her. She read the promise in his eyes before he spoke. "And for a long time to come." They held together like that for a long moment. Then Angel looked up over her head and backed slightly away.  
  
"Giles has some pictures of you and the Scooby gang. Maybe that will jog your brain. If not, we'll just have to tell you." He smiled sympathetically. "There's an awful lot you need to know before tomorrow."  
  
"Tomorrow?" She turned to look at Giles who carried a large black photo journal. "Why do we have to do this all tonight?" Buffy watched as Angel and Giles spoke volumes through a look. Volumes in Man Talk that she had no way of understanding. "Hello? Did I become invisible all of a sudden? Tonight? Why?"  
  
"I'm afraid any kind of half-explanation would make no sense to you. It, uh, must be 'all or nothing.'" Giles gave her a smile similar to Angel's. Handing the album to the vampire, he asked, "Do you know where the others might be?"  
  
"They're at The Bronze," Angel said. "We were supposed to meet them there after patr-" he cut himself off sharply, throwing a glance at Buffy who still looked annoyed.  
  
"Ah, yes, of course," Giles muttered. "Well, why don't you two start with the pictures? I'll call Cordelia and have her bring the others over here. This problem might solve itself if she sees them all together."  
  
"Right," Angel didn't sound all that far away from disbelief. Tugging Buffy's hand, he pulled her down to the couch with him. "Let's see what we have here." He pressed a quick kiss to her lips, relieved to feel her return the pressure.  
  
"Lead on, MacDuff!"  
  
The vampire jerked at the name, but she was already opening the cover. His Irish roots obviously hadn't prompted the remark.  
  
"Who's that?"  
  
Buffy's question pulled him back. "That is Willow ..."  
  
*****  
  
Before a person got anywhere near the front door, he could tell that The Bronze was hot tonight. It was Friday. It was Sunnydale. And Dingoes Ate My Baby was playing.  
  
"What time is it?" Willow asked Xander and a bored looking Cordelia. They were sitting at a table on the edge of the dance floor, sodas and cappuccino in hand. They were also waiting for Buffy and Angel, who were late. As usual.  
  
"Three minutes later than the last time you asked, Will," Xander said kindly, smiling sympathetically. He knew what she was feeling. He always worried about Buffy when she was on patrol. Even when he knew she was with Angel. Or was that why he worried? The Slayer and a vampire. It still seemed wrong to him. There was only one relationship they should have had and smoochies had no part in it.  
  
"Maybe they ran into trouble," she worried, toying with the straw in her coke. "'Cause, you know, patrolling's dangerous. Maybe they need help." She sounded just a little too happy about the thought.  
  
"It really is rude of them to keep us waiting around," Cordy complained, checking her lipstick in a compact. "Punctuality should be a law. Except when I'm late, of course." The compact went back into her voluminous purse and out came the phone.  
  
Xander just stared at the beautiful brunette for a long moment before turning back to Willow. "Think about it, Will. The Slayer and a vampire. Do you think we could really be of any help if they couldn't handle it?"  
  
"Maybe I can catch Harmony before her date," Cordelia continued, oblivious to the non-attention around her.  
  
Willow smiled sheepishly. "You might have a point, Xand."  
  
Finger poised to punch Harmony's autodial, Cordelia let out a yelp and dropped the phone when it rang in her hand. "Oh, I *so* need to stop hanging out with you people."  
  
Willow leaned over to Xander as Cordelia answered the recovered phone. "We don't *make* her come with us."  
  
He smiled at the un-Willow-like comment. Even after all the years, she still managed to surprise him every now and then. His thoughts were interrupted by Cordelia's loud, "What?"  
  
"What 'what'?'' Willow asked, leaning toward Cordelia to try and make out the whole conversation.  
  
Cordelia shot her a "Loser" look and waved a hand imperiously. "Oh, bummer. Wait, you want *me* to bring them over?" She got an affronted look on her face. "Well, you don't need to put it like that." She closed the phone down and made a show of putting it back into her purse. "Alienate people much?"  
  
"Cordelia!" Xander cried, anxious for the news.  
  
"What?" Stuck in her own world, she mistook his tone. "He needs to take some people skills classes, like, bad."  
  
"What's going on?" Willow qualified.  
  
"Oh, that," she said dismissively, sliding her purse over her shoulder. "I guess Buffy's got this amnesia thing and Giles wants us to come to his place." After dropping that bomb, she turned and walked unhurriedly for the door.  
  
"What?" the lifelong friends echoed in unison, staring at Cordelia's retreating back.  
  
"Uh oh," Willow murmured quietly.  
  
"This is so not good," Xander agreed, turning to meet her worried gaze. Together they jumped up and ran after Cordelia.  
  
*****  
  
The black haired figure let the shapely blonde slumping in his arms fall to the ground. She puddled at his feet like an old banana peel, hair shining in the light from the streetlamp. Twin holes in her neck left little streaks of blood running across the pale skin. Once she hit the pavement, the vampire paid no further attention to what had been a vibrant, young college student.  
  
The demon licked blood from his lips, watching another shapely young thing stride out the door of The Bronze. "Dessert?" he asked himself, shifting back into human guise. "Why not?" He took a step out of the shadows of the alley, preparing his college-boy dialogue. And came to a sudden halt when two other humans ran out of the door to catch up to the delectable morsel. Dessert will just have to wait. He eased back into the shadows, wondering what the emergency was. Curiosity had caused him quite a bit of trouble in his roamings. But it had also brought a whole lot of fun, too.  
  
"Cordy!" the second girl exclaimed. "What else did Giles say? How'd Buffy get hurt? When did it happen?"  
  
In the alley, the demon's eyebrows lifted in surprise. *Buffy?* How many humans in a town the size of Sunnydale could be named something that ridiculous. These must be her companions, the ones that helped her sometimes in the hunt. He had heard rumblings from the others of the Slayer's unusual pack of friends. Including, most unbelievably, Angelus. He couldn't bring himself to believe that his old terrorizing buddy, the Scourge of Europe, was in cahoots with the Slayer. Some things a vampire just had to see for himself. But maybe these three younglings could provide some information on that score. He didn't like what he had heard of this Slayer. She took far too many vampires down for his taste.  
  
"I already told you what I know," the brunette was saying blithely, unlocking the car door. "Buffy's got a little case of amnesia and Giles wants us all there." She flung the door open then turned to the others. "So quit grilling me, alright? You can always walk." With that she slid gracefully into the driver's seat.  
  
The demon watched in silence as Dessert's companions jumped into the car mere moments before it screeched out of the parking lot. A smile slowly slid over his face as he replayed the scene in his mind. "The Slayer has amnesia?" The smile became a chuckle that echoed down the alley, bouncing off the walls.  
  
"This is good." He stepped over the body, moving back into the street. "'A confused Slayer often becomes a dead Slayer,'" he quoted, smile firmly in place. The demon sauntered down the street. "First the Slayer. And then maybe Dessert."  
  
The remainder of an evil chuckle floated out of the mouth of the alley, mixing with a jauntily whistled tune. A tune that sounded awfully like "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas." 


	3. Part 2

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See the first two parts if you've got any questions  
  
(c) October 1999, Eleri McCleod  
  
===================================  
  
*****  
  
Part 2  
  
*****  
  
Angel paused in the doorway, glass of water in hand. His chest tightened as he watched Buffy silently. She was slowly turning pages of the photo album, brow wrinkled in concentration. So far she hadn't remembered anything, but she wasn't ready to give up yet.  
  
"It's in there somewhere," she had said, flicking a hand at her head. "I just need to shake some of these marbles up a bit. It'll come back." She hadn't sounded as confident as the words implied, but she hadn't taken a break.  
  
Watching her now, Angel felt more proud of her than ever. Confused, lost, unsure, she still attacked life, not allowing it to dictate to her. She flipped another page, blonde hair gleaming in the lamplight. His eyes traced her profile, eminently more familiar than his own. Well, you haven't seen it in almost two and a half centuries, he told himself, suddenly struck by an inexplicable urge. He set the glass on the table and sat next to Buffy.  
  
"These aren't striking any chords here." She traced her finger from one picture to the next. "Why aren't there any of you? Of us?" Beside her, Angel drew a breath and took her hands. She turned to face him expecting an answer, getting an intense look instead. "Angel?"  
  
"Tell me what you see when you look at me," he whispered, hating the pleading note in his voice, but unable to stop it.  
  
"What I see," she repeated, unsure. "You mean, really see, or, you know, that other stuff?"  
  
"Anything."  
  
"Oh, okay." Buffy licked her lips nervously, drawing his gaze. She stuttered out the first words, having no clue where this was going to go. "You have brown hair. Very, uh, very *nice* brown hair." Her hand followed her eyes, feathering through the silky strands. "Soft and thick. Like velvet." Her voice relaxed and lowered, finding that *right* feeling within her again. "A strong jaw, full of stubborn. Full lips, but soft, tender. I know that from your smiles, your kisses."  
  
The vampire felt his eyes prick at the gentle tone. Her hand was warm, almost hot, as it floated along the line of his jaw and traced his lips. Buffy had told him that she loved him before. But hearing it and being caressed with it were two completely different things. Somehow she still knew him. He could see it when she looked at him, touched him, smiled at him.  
  
"And your eyes," she murmured, brushing her fingertips along his temple. "Deep, dark brown. Almost as deep as the feelings you try so hard to keep inside. But nowhere near as beautiful as the man who owns them."  
  
They stared into each other's eyes, frozen in a moment neither wanted to break. I am home, Buffy thought deep within her heart. And I'll always be here, Angel answered just as silently.  
  
A loud thump from above jolted them apart. She blinked, grabbing the glass of water. "Wow," she said, cheeks burning. She tried but only got her eyes as far up as his chest. "I have no idea where all that came from. Really."  
  
Angel smiled, still suffused with her warmth. "Don't worry about it." I do, he finished silently. He watched as she gulped down water, trying to hide her embarrassment. "It's okay, Buffy, really," he reassured, taking the glass away from her. Knowing she needed the mood lightened, he took the opportunity to tease her a little. "At least you didn't blurt out what you wrote in your diary this time."  
  
"What?" Buffy did blurt. "My diary? Please, tell me I so did *not* do that." Angel couldn't keep the smile from his face remembering how she'd babbled on, irresistible in her righteous anger. Seeing the look in his face, she buried her head in her hands. "Oh, God, I did. Kill me now. Put me out of my misery, please!"  
  
"I, uh, don't think that will be necessary," came Giles' voice as he moved down the stairs. "I've found another one."  
  
"I'll tell you about it later," Angel promised quietly. She nodded, head still in hands. He turned back to Giles. "Any luck with the rest?"  
  
"Mission accomplished. They should be here any time." He pulled his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. "One can only hope they will be effective."  
  
"You guys say they're really good friends, right?" Buffy got up to pace. "Why wouldn't I remember them?" she asked, not seeing the pained look on Angel's face.  
  
Giles did however and felt a pang of sympathy for the vampire. "In all honesty, Buffy," he said, trying to smooth the moment over. "If you were going to remember anyone, it would be Angel."  
  
She turned to look at man still seated in front of the photo album. "And I do. Well, sort of."  
  
Suddenly, Angel's head popped up to stare at the front door. "Giles," he started, only to be interrupted by the sound of a door slamming outside.  
  
Buffy dropped into a crouch, hand reaching toward her belt. Staring at the door, she suddenly felt two pairs of incredulous eyes on her. She slowly stood up straight and looked bewildered at her empty hand. "Why did I do that?" she asked quietly, eyes flicking worriedly between her hand and the two men. "It's just a door, right?"  
  
All three jumped when a pounding started at the door. "Giles! Buffy! It's us! Let us in!" came the calls from three different voices.  
  
"That's them, huh?" she asked nervously as Giles unlocked the door. Angel tried, but couldn't think of anything comforting to say that wasn't just a platitude. Buffy looked overwhelmed as the three Slayerettes burst into the room.  
  
"Buffy, my God, are you alright?" They surrounded her, throwing questions like baseballs. "What happened? Cordy only said you couldn't remember things. Angel, weren't you there?" The last was thrown like a fastball by Xander, which earned him a tight scowl in reply.  
  
Buffy backed away a step and held up her hands to stop the tide of words. "I'm okay, uh, Willow. You're Xander, right? Okay, and Cordelia." They merely stared at her, unsure how to respond to her uneasiness. "Angel says I got knocked into a headstone. And I still don't know why I was even in a graveyard to begin with," she said pointedly to Giles and Angel, who shared a look and, again, said nothing.  
  
Xander blinked and turned to the Watcher. "She really doesn't know?"  
  
"We were hoping that seeing you three would help, but that doesn't seem to be the case." Giles shook his head, moving back into the room.  
  
Willow sank onto the chair next to her. "This is bad." She looked shell shocked.  
  
"Bad?" Cordelia threw back at her. "Hello? I can think of a lot of words to describe this and 'bad' is really the nicest."  
  
"Would someone please tell me what's going on?" Buffy exploded, glaring at all of them. "You guys keep saying that I don't remember and that that's a bad thing, but you won't tell me what I'm not remembering. Don't you think it might be a little more productive if somebody just told me?"  
  
Silence reigned in the room. No one knew what to say, but they all knew who should say it. Four, then five, pairs of eyes turned to Giles, who sighed and took off his glasses again. Wiping them with a handkerchief, he gestured for everyone to sit down. "Well, uh, where to start?" he asked rhetorically, pacing around the seated group. None of it was going to sound plausible, so he decided to go for the big one. "For the past two years you have been a, uh, Vampire Slayer."  
  
Buffy stared blankly at him. "Huh?"  
  
"'In each generation, a Slayer is born. One girl, in all the world, a Chosen One. One born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires, to stop the spread of evil.'" Giles looked apologetically at the others for using the over-done quote. "Sorry, but that is the easiest explanation." Buffy still stared. "'In all the world, a Chosen One,'" he repeated. "That is you."  
  
"Yeah," she snorted. She laughed, expecting the others to join in the fun. No one else moved. "You think he's serious? All of you? Come on, guys! Vampires? Yeah, I saw that movie too and it was really cheap. Next story, please." She got up to try to shake off the uneasy feeling that was crawling down her back.  
  
"It's not a joke, Buffy," Willow said kindly. "I remember when I found out. It took a little getting used to."  
  
"'Getting used to?' You *all* are insane and, pictures or not, I think I'll be leaving now." She grabbed her jacket only to be blocked by Angel. "Excuse me. I've had enough of the 'Twilight Zone' I can take for one night." For some reason Angel looked as uneasy as she felt.  
  
Giles walked around to face Buffy, glasses back on his nose. "We can prove it to you." He didn't wait for an answer, simply turned to look at Angel. "I'm sorry, but it is the only way."  
  
Angel stared at Buffy, pain settling deep in his eyes. "I know," he whispered. He stepped away, never breaking eye contact. His soul cried out against revealing the truth again. He liked the way Buffy looked at him without the dark knowledge of his secret shadowing the brilliance of her eyes. He liked the way she touched him, freely with no fighting of the Slayer Instinct inside her. Knowing the truth would change that. Knowing the truth, she would wonder about his motives, at least until her memory returned. It was too close, too similar to when she first found out he was a vampire. He steeled himself, taking a breath, knowing what he was risking. And wishing with all his heart that he didn't have to.  
  
Buffy simply stared up at him, unable to ask the questions that floated through her brain. Angel looked as if someone were torturing him. Except his was an inner pain, one that she wanted to take away, to soothe, to make that desperate look disappear forever from his eyes. Her heart whispered to run, to grab Angel and run before this secret was out. But she stood still, waiting for her world to come crashing down around her.  
  
"You guys might want to hold her." Angel sounded dead. The words seemed to hang in the air, forming a thick layer of tension that wrapped around them all. "She is the Slayer and we know what might happen."  
  
Buffy swallowed, fear beginning to replace the uneasiness. "What might happen? Angel? Giles?" She eyed each of them, feeling the weight of Angel's gaze never leave her. "Why do I need to be held?" A panicked note entered her voice.  
  
Xander took hold of her right arm slowly, not knowing if she would throw him off. I don't like this, he thought. Not remembering Angel is okay with me, but making her find out like this is not cool. He looked at the vampire for a moment, unable to miss the pain in his eyes. He thought of all the times he had wished Angel far, far away and felt an unaccustomed surge of sympathy for the demon with a soul. I can't even wish this on Dead Boy.  
  
Buffy stared at Giles on her left. "I'm not going to like this am I?" He didn't reply, just got a grip in her arm. "Oh, yeah. This is just peachy." She turned slowly back to Angel, letting the others adjust their grip. Angel's warm brown eyes radiated love and sorrow and an apology she couldn't understand. She didn't know what hers said. Panic was a pretty good guess.  
  
"Ready?" the vampire asked them. Giles and Xander nodded, bracing their feet. Angel gave Buffy a half smile and took another step away.  
  
Her heart was pounding, stomach churning. She opened her mouth to stop whatever was going to happen, but the words seemed to stick somewhere between her heart and her throat. Angel was just standing there, looking as gorgeous as the first moment she had seen him in the graveyard. Then she felt a clutching in her abdomen and all her muscles contracted on their own, begging for action she didn't understand. "Wha-what's going on?" she pleaded, voice much higher than normal.  
  
Angel swallowed and brought the anger out from the wall he locked it behind. The anger and the bloodlust and the vampire. He let them loose and felt his face begin to change. The brows, the eyes, the teeth. Even before they started altering, he saw Buffy's reaction, saw the Slayer tense for a fight. And felt his heart take another blow. "Buffy, it's me. Angel." He kept his distance, letting her adjust to the shock. "I'm a vampire," the word almost stuck in his mouth, "but I'm not your enemy."  
  
Buffy fought to breathe through the staggering feeling inside her. The instinct to attack this man, this vampire, in front of her was trying to overwhelm her. She stared at Angel's hideous face and took deep breaths, forcibly relaxing her muscles. "I-I'm okay, guys." She nodded to Giles. "I think?"  
  
He slowly released her arm, staying close. "Go ahead, Xander. Buffy, what you're feeling is the Slayer. You don't normally react like this because you've learned how to control it over time." He flicked his gaze back and forth between the two, vampire and Slayer. "Angel is our friend. His soul was returned to him. He would *never* harm you," he finished slowly, making sure she heard him.  
  
Buffy nodded again. "Slayer, sure. I guess you guys aren't as Looney Tunes as I thought. Or maybe *I* am," she added as an afterthought. Then she looked back at Angel. "A vampire. Wow." She could feel the urge to fight still within her, but it wasn't uncontrollable. This is still Angel, she told herself, trying to see past the changed features. There's that connection thingie between us and it feels 'right' to be with him, to kiss him and touch him. He held me so gently in the cemetery. The thoughts seemed to settle something within her. The Slayer didn't scream so loudly when she nodded this time. "Okay. I can deal with this." She smiled shakily. "May I?" she asked, gesturing to his changed features.  
  
Xander stepped between them. "Uh, Buffy, I don't think that's such a good-"  
  
"Yes," Angel broke in. "I trust you, Buffy."  
  
Giles moved next to Xander. " I have to agree with Xander, unusual as that is. You don't know how to control the fighting instinct. Something might flare up if you touch him."  
  
"Giles, Xander," Cordelia piped in. "Listen to you guys. He's a vampire, not a baby. I think he knows how to take care of himself. Besides, Buffy wouldn't even know what to do if that something did happen."  
  
"She's right," Willow said quietly. Then she scowled, looking down. "I didn't just say that, did I?"  
  
Xander looked at Giles sheepishly. "She is making a *little* bit of sense, isn't she?" They stepped away, letting Buffy approach Angel.  
  
"Sure you're okay with this?" she asked, stopping a step from touching him.  
  
"I told you," he assured her. "I trust you."  
  
Staring into his vampiric eyes, Buffy locked down tight on the instinct shouting to end his existence. Concentrating on his eyes, such a different color than the warm brown that had comforted her before, she found the same love and sorrow shining in the bright yellow orbs. She slowly lifted her hand, repeating the feathering caress she had done earlier. His hair was a little coarser than before. The skin rougher than the sleek satin she had stroked. His eyes seemed to soften, the glow growing steadily brighter as the shouting inside her quieted to a whimper, then faded completely. "It's different when I touch you. Not as strong." She slid her fingers over his brow, smoothing the rough arches. "I do know you." She smiled up at him. "The Slayer knows you. It can tell the difference when I touch you. Why?"  
  
Angel couldn't hold the vampire guise in the face of Buffy's joy. As he morphed back, he let out a little sigh. It was never enjoyable to let the vampire out of its box. "Because I have a soul. No other vampire can say the same."  
  
"He's right," Giles sounded surprised. "The Slayer instinct would recognize Angel's soul. You probably do it automatically normally, but now it took physical contact. Amazing." His mind started writing the entry in his Watcher Journal even as Xander stepped forward.  
  
"Okay," he said, uncomfortable with all the touchy-feely going on in front of him. "I'm sure this is truly fascinating to the world of Librarian Watchers, but it helps us exactly how with our current problem? Namely Buffy and her lack of Buffy-ness."  
  
"Yes, indeed." Giles' mind turned itself back to the immediate future. "We need to stall."  
  
Cordelia erupted with a shout of laughter. "Now that's something I never thought I'd hear *you* say." Having no ideas of her own, she turned to the mirror across the room and fiddled with her hair.  
  
"Buffy should call her Mom and tell her she's staying at my house tonight," Willow suggested, moving toward the phone. "It's not like we've never done that before."  
  
Giles nodded absently. "It's probably best if you have as little contact with her as possible until you regain your memory, Buffy. She will be able to tell that something is wrong."  
  
"And since you can't tell her the truth," Xander put in cheerfully, "we just lie to her."  
  
Buffy stared at them all. "Mom? I take it she doesn't know about any of this. And just when did she become Mrs. Observant?"  
  
"When your parents divorced," Angel said quietly behind her. "Not long before the two of you moved to Sunnydale."  
  
"Divorced," she repeated, not wanting to believe it. She looked at Angel, hoping for him to say "Sorry, that came out wrong" but saw the truth in his eyes instead. "I, uh, I should call her then."  
  
Willow dialed for her and handed over the phone. "We do this all the time. She won't think anything's weird." She left Buffy to the ringing receiver and moved into the corner with the others. "What are we going to do? Buffy's got to be back to normal by Monday. We have school. And, and what about all the vampires? We need Buffy to be at her peak Buffsterness," she rambled, eyes wide, jumping from one person to the next.  
  
"Breathe, Willow," Xander instructed, used to his best-friend's little panic tangents. "We'll think of something." He paused for a second, a worried look crossing his face. "Don't ask me what, but we'll think of something."  
  
"Morons," Cordelia snidely tossed out. "Don't you people know anything about amnesia? Especially you, Book-man."  
  
The Watcher looked at her curiously. "Why? Slayers are too hard to hurt to have to worry about amnesia. Well, normally." The glasses came off again. "There's never been a documented case of a Slayer with amnesia. This is totally new."  
  
"Which shouldn't really be a surprise consider we are talking about Buffy." Cordelia crossed her arms over her chest, looking a lot like a particular British librarian in lecture mode. "All you have to do is recreate the events that led up to the initial memory loss. Because that's usually some traumatic event, it causes the person to be in the same state of mind, triggering a recall of the lost time period. "  
  
Four pairs of eyes stared incredulously at her. "Where did you learn all this, Cordelia?" Giles asked, not knowing that the girl could even read anything that wasn't fashion related.  
  
"Duh, I *do* go to school. Okay, and my cousin had amnesia a couple years ago."  
  
"What caused it?" Angel asked, hoping for a similar circumstance.  
  
"Well, she was trying on these really horrid dresses and ... Never mind. That won't help Buffy at all." She paced back and forth a couple times. "What did happen to her?"  
  
Angel sighed, shaking his head. "She got knocked into a gravestone. Hit her head on the corner." A shiver went through him as the scene replayed in his mind. "She *really* hit her head on the corner."  
  
"But that's happened lots of times and she's always just gotten up." Xander smiled a little. "It only seemed to make her mad."  
  
"That's all that happened?" Giles insisted. "You're sure she didn't get hit with something else?"  
  
"As sure as I can be," he defended himself. "I was in the middle of a fight. One second she's beating the crap out of a vampire, the next I hear a crack and she's just laying there, not moving. She was only out for thirty seconds, maybe a minute."  
  
"That's easy then," Cordelia smiled triumphantly. "All we have to do is take Buffy back to the cemetery and push her into a gravestone. No more amnesia."  
  
There was a moment's pause. "Anybody have any other ideas?" Angel asked, not about to entertain the idea of smashing his love's head into solid marble on purpose. Silence fell again.  
  
"Okay," Buffy said loudly, the phone clanging into its holder. "The parental unit is now in on the Willow plan and we're free to get my memory back. Where do we start?" She looked expectantly from one person to the next. They merely stared back, not wanting to voice the only option that had come forward. "Well? What did I miss?"  
  
*****  
  
"We have to move quickly. There's no telling when the Slayer's memory will return." The black haired demon announced, cutting through the chatter. Ten other pairs of demonic eyes swiveled to face him.  
  
"But, Gideon," one female spoke, her slightly shrill voice a contrast to the male's cultured European one. "How can we be sure that the child was talking about the Slayer? If it wasn't her, we won't stand a chance!"  
  
Gideon growled, eyes shifting slightly toward yellow. "Coward." With that one harshly spoken word, a space appeared around the female, clearing the path between her and their leader. He stepped toward her slowly, relishing the way Lisa fell to the floor, fear in her eyes. "For that, I might just kill you myself. But for your information, we have these little things called tests and they can tell us lots of information if we're smart enough to employ them."  
  
"What are you planning, Gideon?" Henry asked eagerly. He wanted a chance for payback. The Slayer had nearly killed him once before. Instead of death, however, she had merely caused him excruciating pain. Any chance of giving some of that back sounded good to him.  
  
"So anxious for violence, Henry," Gideon approved. "We observe. Then we divide. Then we kill." He ran his hand over Lisa's shaking head. "But first we need bait."  
  
Lisa's eyes whipped up to meet his. "Please, Gideon," she whimpered, trembling fiercely. "Please. Not me."   
  
"But of course you, Lisa." He knelt in front of her, gently lifting her face to meet his lips. He kissed her forehead lightly, a sinister smile flashing across his face at the feel of her shaking. "We wouldn't want the bait to accidentally kill the Slayer if she really does have amnesia. I think that's why you're called the sacrificial lamb."  
  
"No!" she shrieked, trying to break his hold on her face. But Gideon was too strong. He stood, carrying her with him. Her feet dangled off the floor, hands gripping his arms.  
  
As the remaining vampires cheered and growled, glad to finally be doing something against the Slayer who had cost them so many, Gideon raised his face to the ceiling of the tunnel and shouted his challenge. It was only fair to give her some warning.  
  
"Let the games begin!" 


	4. Part 3

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Disclaimer: Buffy and the Slayerettes sure don't belong to me. Only the storyline itself. And that nasty Gideon guy.  
  
(c) October 1999, Eleri McCleod  
  
=======================================  
  
*****  
  
Part 3  
  
*****  
  
"So basically we have no ideas," Buffy reiterated, trying to keep her head from spinning off her shoulders. "I have amnesia and no way to get rid of it. There are lots of vampires out there that need slaying and I don't know how to do it. We're up a creek, aren't we?"  
  
"I wouldn't paint it that bleak," Giles smiled, recognizing the normal Buffy in the statement. "We do have a few advantages that will help you to succeed."  
  
"Hey!" she cried suddenly, turning to look at Angel. "It's gone. That Slayer thingie. When you changed back, I couldn't feel it anymore." Giles' mouth opened, but she beat him. "But you still feel different than the others." She stared at Angel, brows furrowed in concentration. "I didn't notice it before. I don't know how to describe it. You just *feel* different."  
  
Angel nodded, the light dimming a little from his eyes. He knew why he still felt different and he hated it. His double cursed life was almost unbearable sometimes. The first curse, the vampire, took away almost any chance of he and Buffy ever having a life together. The second, his soul, was the only reason they had any at all. 'What a tangled web we weave,' he quoted sadly to himself.  
  
"Because you're a vampire," she continued. "Do all other vamps feel like this? Is this how I tell them apart from, from, well, humans?" She turned to Giles, unable to meet Angel's eyes any longer. The whole situation was beginning to make her head spin. Vampires, Slayers, her relationship with Angel... "Can I have some aspirin?"  
  
Xander couldn't keep the snort of laughter back. Everyone turned to stare at him. "What?" No one replied. "Come on. Buffy wanting aspirin? Now that's just a little unusual, don't you think?"  
  
Angel felt a smile twitch along his mouth. Glancing at Giles, he saw the Watcher was having the same problem. They made eye contact, twitches turning into full grins.  
  
"What?" Buffy asked, looking from one person to the next. "I'm allergic to aspirin?" The others burst into laughter. "Hello?" Xander and Willow collapsed onto the couch. Cordelia seemed to be choking while Angel and Giles were trying to halt their giggle fit. "Let me guess. This is one of those thingies that I haven't been told yet."  
  
Giles nodded, pulling off his glasses. "Uh, yes." After wiping his eyes, he gave Xander, Willow and Cordelia a light glare. "Perhaps now that the biggest shock is over, we can cover a few other things."  
  
Willow gulped in a few big breaths. "Aspirin. You're right, Xand. That *is* good." She caught Buffy's eye. "Sorry. But it is. You'll, uh, understand eventually."  
  
"Yeah!" Xander exclaimed. "We could arm wrestle," he suggested, happily jumping to his feet. Buffy just stared at him, wondering what field that one had come from. It sure hadn't been left. "On second thought that might not be such a good idea."  
  
"Good call, Xander. She'd only hurt you," Cordelia tossed off, checking her makeup. Xander shot her a 'thank you' look, trying to hold onto his sense of Xander-self.  
  
"Yes, well," Giles motioned for Buffy to sit again. "The Slayer is endowed with extraordinary strength along with the gift to sense vampires. Combined with intense training, the Slayer fights all manner of demon and, uh, otherworldly, shall we say, in order to keep the Earth, and its people, alive as we know it."  
  
"Why'd this Slayer thingie pick on me? I didn't ask for it. I mean, there's a big dance coming up..." she trailed off slowly, damaged memory kicking in. "Except the dance was, like, two years ago, huh?"  
  
Angel squeezed her hand lightly, careful of her newly awakened awareness of Slayer instinct. "We'll help you get it all back, Buffy." She gave him a small smile, turning her hand to lace her fingers with his. "No matter how long it takes."  
  
"That's right," Xander cut in, unable to watch the bonding going on in front of him. "We're *all* here for you." He sat on the other side of Buffy, patting her empty hand reassuringly.  
  
Buffy stared at them, amazed at the loyalty of these people. She hoped she could live up to their expectations. She had never done very well with her parents. "Thanks, guys. I've only got one question. What do we do if my memory never comes back?"  
  
For the second time, silence reigned in the room. Angel bit the bullet and squeezed her hand. "Let's deal with that only if we have to, okay?"  
  
"Sounds good to me," Xander snapped up off the couch. "So, who's hungry?"  
  
*****  
  
"Okay. Enough," Buffy sighed, jumping up from the couch. "The pictures, the talking, none of it is working. I think it's time for a more hands on approach." She stared down at Giles expectantly.  
  
"H-hands on?" he repeated, obviously stalling. He shot a quick glance at Angel, which Buffy interrupted.  
  
"Yes, hands on. None of this pedestrian stuff is going to get my memory back. Which *is* the final objective, right?" Without waiting for confirmation, she rushed on earnestly. "So, if we use Cordy's example, a similar situation will do more than all of this put together."  
  
"Buffy, did you just agree with me?" Cordelia sounded insulted.  
  
"I'm sure you can handle it, Cordy." Xander turned to Giles. "This is not a good idea. Buffy could get hurt going out 'hands on' without her memory."  
  
"I must agree with Xander, Buffy. You might do nothing but more harm to yourself. Instinct alone is not enough. You must have the training to back it up and I'm afraid you don't have any of that training available right now." Giles hoped Buffy would not prove to be her usual impulsive self in this case. It could get her killed.  
  
"We don't have time to just wait around for my memory to come back. We have to *make* it work." The Slayer stopped in front of Giles, looking him in the eye. "Or start that training right away. We tried the most obvious thing and no bells." Something inside her told her to push the issue. It was all there, locked away deep inside her head. She knew it. Just like she knew she needed to get out there in the thick of it all.  
  
"Buffy," the Watcher started, taking her shoulders. "I understand your desire to make this work right away, but we may have to accept the fact that it just won't work that way."  
  
She pulled away, stalking around the room. "I know, I know. But something tells me that I have to get out there. I feel like something is happening. Something bad."  
  
"She's right," Angel cut into the argument. "It's been way too quiet lately. And if even one vampire knows about this missing memory, Buffy's going to be in even more danger than normal." He looked Giles in the eye, focusing out everything else in the room. "Neither of us wants that." Their gazes held, silently, unwillingly agreeing on a course of action they didn't like.  
  
Angel sighed heavily. Once again Buffy's putting her life on the line, he thought bitterly, wanting to grab her up and carry her far away from the Hellmouth and the dangers it kept spitting out. And one day I won't be there to help keep her safe. Like tonight, he worried internally. His mind flashed over the scene again. Maybe if he'd been quicker in dusting his vamp. Maybe if he'd been paying more attention to patrolling instead of Buffy and her soul-spinning kisses. Maybe... There were a million of them.  
  
"Okay," Buffy interrupted his thoughts cheerily. "Now that we've settled that, I just need to know where to go to hunt these vamps. Which we do need to find for this little fun-fest." She looked from Angel to Giles. Then to Xander to Cordelia to Willow. No one said a word, but Buffy could see Willow's nervousness. "Well, we already know about the cemetery." Willow gulped. "What about the funeral home?" Nothing. "The mall?" Again nothing. "The park?" Gulp action. "The park! Willow, what's it called? Come on," she pleaded, thinking Willow was her best bet for success. She didn't hear Angel moving behind her until he spoke.  
  
"Waverly, Buffy." She whipped around to face him. He took note of the shock in her eyes. "It's called Waverly Park. You usually find a lot of vampires there." He didn't want to try and explain to her how important it was for her to get her memory back. He didn't want her to have to go through all the mistakes and pain of the past two years.  
  
"Thanks," she said slowly, trying to read the look on his face. "You'll go with me, right?"  
  
"Always."  
  
"Well, we're going, too." Willow stepped up next to Buffy. "I mean, if you want."  
  
"And there's a question about that?" Xander jumped in. "Come on, Will, we're the Slayerettes. We have to be there!"  
  
Buffy smiled at her friends. "Cool. This'll be just like last year's zoo trip." A sudden frown flashed across her face. "Except we'll skip the whole snake thing this time."  
  
Willow smiled eagerly, anxious to hear the story. "Snake thing?"  
  
"Well, Hilary was trying to get Tyler to call her -"  
  
"Fascinating, I'm sure. Could we get back to the point, please," Giles cut in rather sharply. "I'm going along on this little 'field trip,' too. Who knows what Buffy may encounter?" Giles shot a glare at Angel. "We may as well get over there. Nothing like jumping before walking, eh?"  
  
Angel gave him a half smile and reached for Buffy's coat.  
  
*****  
  
"So I do this patrol thingie every night," Buffy stated for the third time. The others were heading off in the other direction around the park. It wasn't that big and Angel would be able to hear if they ran into trouble. Giles had decided that two small groups were more likely to draw out any vampires than one big one. So Buffy and Angel were teamed up, as usual, and Xander, Cordelia, Willow and Giles were all together for number's sake. "And I slay any stray vamp that happens along, right?" She turned to Angel, stopping in the middle of the path. He didn't answer, just stared at her, eyes dark with unspoken words. Buffy half-smiled, not sure where the line was on vampire comments around Angel. "Well, ex-except you, I mean." He returned the half-smile, still not speaking, still looking worried and broody.  
  
Buffy stared at him for a moment, the smile slowly fading from her face. A flutter of nervousness wormed its way through her stomach. "Angel, you've got to help here." She swallowed hard, toying with the stake in one hand. "I don't know what to say around you. Or, or what I shouldn't say. I don't have any references for this. I mean, a vampire boyfriend." Her voice rose in pitch as did her frustration. "How did I deal with this before? Did we fight? I mean, you are a vampire and I'm this Slayer-chic. Did I know you had a soul? Or-"  
  
"Buffy," Angel tried to halt the rapid flow of words. "Don't do this, please." To no effect. Her words weren't even being directed at him any more. She was pacing back and forth in front of him, using the stake as a pointing tool.  
  
"Or did we just like each other? How did this all work? I really am not dealing with this very well, I know." She stopped pacing, fingers digging into her hair to hold it off her face, her expression revealing frustration, confusion and just a little helplessness. "I don't know what to do. I've never felt like this before."  
  
Angel pulled the stake from her hand, smoothing her hair of the tangles she'd inflicted. Her beautiful sunshine hair that was silk against his skin. He felt that fist tighten around his chest again watching her struggle with herself. "Buffy, you don't need to worry about me at all." She gazed up at him, tears of frustration and worry filling her eyes. Tucking the stake back into her belt, he tugged gently on it. "All you have to do is concentrate on getting your memory back. Nothing else matters right now." This time it was he who wiped the tears dry, smiling gently at this girl who had been forced to grow up beyond her years and any normal expectation. "You get your memory back," he ordered softly. "And let me worry about all the rest of it, okay?"  
  
Buffy sniffed, nuzzling her face into his hand. "But what about this whole Slayer thing? And I don't want to go around saying the wrong things around you all the time. I mean, who knows what's going to come out of my big mouth, right? I have been known to chew on some feet in my time. You're probably seen it-"  
  
He cut her babbling off the best way he knew how, pressing his lips to hers gently, holding her captive by the soft pressure. He felt her sigh on his lips as she returned the kiss, her small hands coming up to rest on his chest. He deepened the kiss, body tensing in reaction when she went with him.  
  
One warm hand slid around his neck to tangle in his hair while the other wrapped around his back, pulling his body against hers. Shuddering at the full contact, his hands clenched in her hair, holding her still for his kiss. This is going too far, the only reasoning part of his brain clamored anxiously, trying to break through the passion-glazed haze that surrounded him. You've got to stop this!  
  
Angel ignored the little voice, drinking in her essence, her sunshine, her love, feeling truly alive and human in her arms. But that voice refused to go away, repeating over and over that the embrace had gotten out of hand. He could feel her heart pounding against his chest, her hands scorching a path over his back, her Slayer's strength and his vampiric strength combining to crush them together so not even air was between them.  
  
"Angel," she murmured, heart soaring. Overwhelmed with the feelings coursing through her, she only knew that she wanted, needed this embrace to go on forever.  
  
It was that impassioned whisper that finally broke through Angel's drugged mind. Abruptly he pulled back, breaking the kiss, but not their hold on each other. Her eyes innocently begged him to return those pleasure-giving lips, hands tugging to pull him closer again. He steeled his heart again her siren's pull, telling himself that she was an innocent and unknowing of what she was diving headlong into.  
  
But he couldn't stop from raising her face to meet his lips again, sealing them together tightly. The clamoring voice continued, growing in volume in his head, desperately trying to halt the embrace.  
  
Her lips were fiery satin on his, filling him with her self, her goodness, washing away the evil inside. He growled softly, holding her tight against his body. She responded like the Slayer she couldn't remember being. She moaned, raking her fingernails over his back. A bolt of desire shot through him, ripping a harsh gasp from his mouth. He flung his head back, growling with his need for this girl.  
  
And abruptly realized what was happening. He pulled out of her arms, backing away toward the trees. He closed his eyes, trying to get his body and emotions back under control.  
  
Buffy stared at him in shock. One moment they were kissing and all sorts of interesting things were happening, the next Angel had decided he liked the company of the trees surrounding them better than her. Her hazy mind was having trouble piecing his actions to a reason. "Angel?" No response. "What's, uh, up?"  
  
She took a step toward him, only to halt abruptly when he whispered harshly, "Don't. Stay over there."  
  
"And I'm asking why? I mean about all of this, not just the 'stay' part." She tried to swallow the hurt that was threading its way through her heart, but it slipped into her voice, giving it a choked sound she didn't like. It had felt right and absolutely unbelievable in his arms. She had thought he'd liked it too. The reason she got was the one she never would have thought of.  
  
"Things are moving too far, too fast, Buffy," he ground out, forcibly relaxing. "Sometimes we walk the line just a little too closely. Like now." He suddenly turned to look at her, eyes heavy with emotion. "We've got time. We don't need to rush into something we're not ready for. And sometimes I can't," he paused, searching for an appropriate word, "relax when you're too close." He stopped, hoping she'd understand and not assume he was treating her like a kid.  
  
The hurt dissipated as quickly as it appeared, turning into a wonderful warmth that flowed through her, filling her with love for this vampire, this man, in front of her. "Yeah," she smiled over at Angel, drinking in his features in the bright moonlight. Her mind repeated over and over his use of 'we' instead of 'her.' "We've got plenty of time."  
  
The last of the tension poured from his body, released by her understanding. "You're amazing," he murmured, feeling in control enough to move to her.  
  
She snorted, disbelief clearly readable on her face. "Yeah, right."  
  
Angel brushed aside her sarcasm. He cupped her cheek gently, knowing this simple kiss was safe. He brushed her lips lightly, pulling away without haste. "Amazing," he repeated, feeling a sense of déjà vu. They had done almost the exact same thing earlier just before the two vamps had attacked. He looked up quickly, stiffening as he felt the presence of another vampire.  
  
"Wow," Buffy exclaimed, a grimace flitting over her features. She gasped quietly, wrapping her hand over her side. "What is that?"  
  
Pulling a stake from his duster's pocket, he nodded for her to do the same. "Vampire."  
  
"Oh." Eyes growing wide with apprehension, she pulled her stake clumsily from her belt. "Okay. Stake. In hand. Check." She threw him a quick glance. "Heart, right?"  
  
"Right." Angel gave her a grin and moved a few steps away, anticipating the attack. Suddenly his mind flashed on the picture of Buffy reaching for a stake when the car door had slammed at Giles'. "Just let your instincts tell you what to do. Don't second guess them." He caught her nod as the vamp made her appearance.  
  
*****  
  
Gideon leaned against a tree, patiently awaiting the outcome. He knew the Slayer would kill Lisa, who was a waste of a vampire, but he needed to see just how off the Slayer was. And then there was Angelus. What happened to you, he asked his old hunting pal silently, replaying the shared kiss with the beautiful, young Slayer. The two separated now as he watched, stakes at the ready.  
  
He focused on the Slayer. As beautiful in feature as he had been told. But her movements, even confused and unsure as she was, were fluid, lending a grace to the deadly skills he so admired. She's perfect, he assured himself, anticipating when he would be able to call her his. And take her away from the traitor, Angelus, now called Angel.  
  
His unbeating heart almost started at the thought of hurting Angel the way he himself had been so long ago. He could still remember the smell of the fire, could still feel the heat of the flames as they crept closer. He had barely escaped, body smoking. Mariah had not made it into the surrounding forest. She had collapsed in the sunlight, flames turning her to dust. Gideon could only watch, helplessly smoking in the shade of the ancient trees. The attacking rabble had never realized he and Angelus had escaped to the heavy cover of foliage. When Mariah was gone, he had limped his way through the trees to find a safe haven until darkness. With each step, he had dreamed of finding Angel and what he would do to the other vampire for the loss of Mariah. But he had had to become stronger than Angelus first. And that had taken time.  
  
That waiting time is over now, he thought triumphantly, watching Angel and the Slayer destroy Lisa. It took much longer than he had anticipated, proving that she was definitely off of her game. "Excellent," he whispered into the darkness around him.  
  
Lisa's scream was cut off midstream, bringing Gideon out of the past and his memories. He smiled coldly, knowing that Angel was going to pay tonight, that the waiting was finally over. He watched the Slayer's shocked reaction to Lisa's final death and Angel's hurried rush to comfort her. Tonight, Angelus, he vowed. "Tonight."  
  
He slipped away into the shadows, unseen and unheard by the talking couple not far away. 


	5. Part 4

=======================  
  
(c) October 1999, Eleri McCleod  
  
=======================  
  
*****  
  
Part 4  
  
*****  
  
Buffy walked slowly through the dark hallway. There was no other movement, no other sound, but her near-silent footsteps. She recognized the walls and ceiling around her. She was in the passageway leading to the Master's old lair. Another corner and she'd be there. Her steps faltered for a moment, memories of her drowning flashing through her. She forced her feet to keep moving, knowing she had to get to the main room, yet not knowing why.  
  
She rounded the corner, the chamber looking the exact way it had when she'd come to kill the Master. Glancing quickly around, she knew he wasn't there. But someone, something was. And that something was rounding the Master's throne.  
  
Buffy gasped when the figure came into the light. "Angel?" But her mind told her that wasn't right. The vampire in front of her looked like her love, except for the eyes. Angel's were a warm, beautiful brown. These were a piercing green, cold like an emerald.  
  
"Not Angelus, love," his voice was rough velvet, sending a shudder down her back. "But you will know me. You should know me now."  
  
She backed up a step, sure she'd never seen this vamp before. Also more than aware that she was afraid just looking at him. That didn't happen to her very often. And it usually meant that she was in big trouble.  
  
Now, after the initial shock, she could see the subtle differences between him and her love. The two men could have been brothers when they were alive. Suddenly she realized she couldn't feel him with her Slayer senses. And she didn't feel the urge to end his existence like normal.  
  
He smiled, enjoying her discomfort. "I have a little present for you, love." He snapped his finger and another vamp appeared, dragging a teenaged boy with him.  
  
Buffy tensed, wondering how she could get over to wigged-looking teen and get him out. She felt uneasy down here. Her Slayer senses seemed to be turned off, which had never happened before.  
  
The vampire took a step toward the cowering boy, keeping eye contact with Buffy. "I'm Gideon, my dear." He vamped out, grabbing the boy who let out a shriek. "And we're going to have so much fun together." He tore into the boy's neck, drinking eagerly.  
  
She took a step forward, determined to do something. Except she didn't feel the customary urge to save the teen. Her mouth watered at the sight of Gideon's feeding, nose catching the scent of the blood from across the room. This is wrong, her head screamed at her. Help the poor kid!  
  
Gideon looked up from his feeding, the boy flopping in his arms. "Want some, love?" He carelessly tossed the teen to Buffy, who caught him and tensed to run.  
  
Then she felt her face begin to change. Brows growing, arching down, teeth elongating into razor sharp daggers. She looked down at the blood trickling from Gideon's bite. And wanted to taste it. Needed its sustenance.  
  
Shaking in horror, the realization dawned on her. "I'm a vampire?" She hadn't meant it as a question, but her mind was trying to deny the possibility. Praying it couldn't be.  
  
He smiled, full of pride. "Welcome to the family, love."  
  
"No!" she screamed, dropping the teen and holding her head in her hands. Feeling the ridged brow, she fell to her knees. "No," she repeated, whimpering.  
  
Gideon knelt in front of her. Gently raising her head, he kissed her forehead. "You can't stop it." Staring into her eyes, he touched his lips to hers.  
  
*****  
  
"No!" Buffy cried, jolting upright on the couch. Frantically she felt for the cross around her neck. The cross Angel had given her the night they'd met. As her fingers closed over the precious silver, she felt Angel's hand soothe over her arm.  
  
"Buffy, what's wrong? What happened?" He looked anxiously over her, checking for blood, bruises, anything to make the Slayer cry out in mortal fear like that. His senses were on full alert, not wanting anything to harm this girl he loved.  
  
They had returned to Giles' after finishing off the vamp who had attacked them in the park, unsure what their next step was going to be. Xander had bellyached about having nothing edible at the Brit's place, edible meaning calorie filled, nutritionally worthless, preferably chocolate snack items. So Cordelia had grudgingly offered to drive him and Willow to a 24-hour store. Buffy, totally drained, had succumbed to the comfort of the couch, leaving Giles and Angel to discuss the possibilities.  
  
Now, the Slayer's chest heaved with her panicked breaths. "It was a dream," she murmured, clutching the cross against her bare skin. "It was just a dream." She leaned against Angel, grateful for his presence.  
  
"A dream?" he asked worriedly. He knew what her dreams were: a foretelling of the future. And they always became reality, in some form or another. "Buffy, what did you dream?"  
  
She stared up at him at the harshly asked question. Knowing only that it was important to tell him, she swallowed and gripped even harder on the cross. "I was in the Master's old lair with a vamp I've never seen before." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Giles sit on the other end of the couch, but kept her gaze on Angel. "He looked just like you." Giles gasped while Angel drew back in alarm. She grabbed his hand to keep him close. "But it wasn't you. He had green eyes. Really cold."  
  
Angel felt dread work its way down his spine. It can't be. He died, he reassured himself. He died a hundred years ago. Buffy's grip on his hand would have been painful if he'd been human. She still had a lot more to tell about her dream.  
  
"He fed on this kid. A-and I didn't stop him. I just watched." She finally turned to Giles, tears beginning to fall over her cheeks. "I just watched."  
  
Angel's heart seized. He knew there was more. He stroked her cheek, wanting to deny the possibility of her dream. "Go on," he choked out, afraid he already knew what was coming.  
  
She stared at their entwined hands, concentrating on the feel of his skin against hers. "He threw the boy over to me and... and..." A sob ripped out of her throat, not letting her force the words out.  
  
He gathered her up into his arms, holding her tightly. He closed his eyes and finished what she couldn't say. "Gideon had Changed you."  
  
She sobbed into his chest as the impact of Angel's words sunk in. He held her, desperate to think of something he could do to stop it.  
  
Giles tried to speak, but nothing came out, mouth bobbing like a goldfish. He pulled off his glasses, needing to do something. "Turning the Slayer," he said quietly. "That's insanity. I've never read of a vampire trying to do that." Then it hit. "Buffy never said his name was Gideon. How do you know?"  
  
Angel set Buffy slightly away from him so he could see her as he spoke. "His name *was* Gideon, wasn't it?"  
  
She nodded, a slight frown forming through the tears. "You know him?"  
  
The vampire looked over at Giles. "You haven't read up on me, on Angelus, have you?"  
  
"Uh, no. I haven't." He stared Angel in the eye. "It didn't seem quite right."  
  
He nodded at the Watcher, appreciating the Brit's sense of privacy. "Gideon and Angelus ran together over a hundred years ago. I watched him die in Paris." He looked down for a moment, laughing humorlessly. "At least I thought I did. You've never heard of him?"  
  
Giles readjusted his glasses. "I believe I'm about to. What happened in Paris? And what about this, uh, other business? What do you know of that?"  
  
"We got trapped into a building by hunters. They set it on fire and I escaped. I guess he did, too."  
  
"You didn't help Gideon?"  
  
"Buffy," Angel admonished. "This *is* Angelus we're talking about. He only cared about getting himself out. Gideon was nothing more than a hanger-on. He and Mariah. Angelus kept them around so he'd have someone to showoff to. And Gideon seemed to have the same enjoyment of terror." Angel was engulfed in memories, none of them good. The memories were immediately followed by guilt and pain. He had done so much to so many. Could he ever make up for it?  
  
Buffy's hand squeezed his. Looking up, he saw the compassion and love in her eyes. The pain lessened a little with the reaffirmation of her love. There had to be something good about him to allow the beautiful soul sitting in front of him to feel that way.  
  
"Mariah?" Giles asked, a frown on his face. "Mariah Sefton?"  
  
"Yeah," Angel said shortly, knowing Giles had made the connection.  
  
The Watcher stood up, eyes wide with shock. "The Journals never said what happened to her. Her Watcher woke up one morning and she was just gone. No one ever saw her again." He paused on the other side of the couch, implications of Buffy's dream sending horror knifing through him. "Gideon Turned Mariah."  
  
"It's what he does." The vampire stood, unable to remain sitting. He prowled the room, needing some kind of action to reduce the apprehension that was taking root in his chest. "Like the Slayer hunts a vampire, he would hunt the Slayer. He used to say they were the only ones worth the energy. The only ones worth Turning." He stopped moving, staring blankly at the books lined neatly on the shelf in front of him. "He should have been dead." The words were barely audible in the silence of the room.  
  
"But it was just a dream, right?" Buffy asked urgently, looking from her Watcher to her boyfriend. "I mean, it's nothing to get that worked up over. It just, you know, gave me the wiggins. It doesn't mean that this guy's actually alive, right?"  
  
Angel kept facing the books, unable to look at her pleading expression. His mind was already working up and discarding plans to keep her dream from coming true. All of her prophecies had so far, but he wasn't about to let this one. Gideon wasn't going to touch one hair on her head. He's going to have to go through me first, he vowed silently.  
  
Her eyes flitted back and forth between the two men. There was something they hadn't told her yet, she recognized the symptoms. "Giles?"  
  
He came around the end of the couch and sat next to her. "The Slayer is gifted with prophetic dreams, Buffy. It allows her to prepare."  
  
"Prepare?" she repeated slowly. "What does that mean?"  
  
"Well," Giles stalled, toying with his glasses again. "The dreams give the Slayer a little advance warning of some of the terrible demons that are attracted to the power of the Hellmouth."  
  
She stared at the librarian, sure there was a way to break that one down to a couple of words, but her brain wasn't really working up to snuff yet. "And again, that means what?"  
  
"It means Gideon's in Sunnydale."  
  
The pair on the couch jumped at Angel's terse summary. Buffy's stomach started tying itself into knots, dread and adrenaline beginning to pump through her. "I think that was one of those answers I shouldn't have asked the question to."  
  
He tried to give her a smile, but his overwhelming worry shadowed the gesture. He watched her for a moment, once again struck by how young she actually was. Not even seventeen, he thought bitterly toward whatever forces had decided to give her a life of pain and death. And I'll do anything to see that she makes it to seventeen.  
  
"So, uh, what can you tell us about this Gideon?" A notebook and pen had materialized in Giles's hands, ready to take notes.  
  
"You've heard it all, basically. I thought he was dead." Angel ran a hand through his hair, coming back over to the couch. "We need the Watcher Journals. They would have the only information on him. There's no reason he would be in any other chronicle. He wasn't strong enough to be considered a major threat back then. He was just damn lucky."  
  
"The Journals are at the library. We should get over there and begin our research." He gave Angel a questioning look. "This could take the rest of the night..." he trailed off, not wanting to dig too deeply into Angel's habits, especially with Buffy sitting next to him.  
  
Thankfully, Angel understood the reason for the slightly uncouth question. "I'll be fine. Do we wait for the others or just call them?"  
  
Giles nodded, wondering how much Buffy actually understood of their cryptic words. The girl was awfully perceptive sometimes. "I'll call. Why don't you two grab those books there," he pointed to a short stack by the coffee table. "We might need them."  
  
Buffy stood slowly, heart still beating a little faster than normal. "So this library," she said, trying to keep her anxiety hidden. "I guess we're there quite a bit?"  
  
Angel looked over at her, pausing in mid-reach for a book. "Just think of it as a second home," he teased lightly, playing along with her. His heart clenched as she forced a cheery smile, obviously determined to try not to wig out on them. She walked past him to get her jacket, silver cross flashing in the light. "Hey," he said quietly, bringing her back in front of him. "We'll get through this," he promised. "Just like everything else."  
  
She felt a real smile work its way over her face. Her heart lightened a little with Angel's optimism. "I take it we get into trouble a lot, huh?"  
  
He moved a step closer, lifting her chin with gentle fingers. "We've had our share of it. And we've always gotten out okay." He kissed her forehead softly, then one cheek followed by the other. Expecting to feel his lips on hers next, a chuckle slipped out when he kissed the tip of her nose instead. "That's my girl," he whispered, leaning closer, careful to avoid the gleaming silver around her neck. This time his lips met hers softly, taking comfort in each other. You can't have her, Gideon, he swore silently, cupping her face in both hands. You won't Turn this one, too.  
  
Abruptly, Buffy pulled away. "Hey, I remembered something earlier." She looked up at him excitedly. "This cross," she put her hand over it gently. "You gave it to me, didn't you?"  
  
"Yeah," he confirmed. "The night we met." He chuckled as the memory flashed through him. "You surprised the Hell out of me by attacking from behind like you did."  
  
Her eyes widened at his words. "And you said that you didn't bite and I let you up. I remember." She threw her arms around him, knocking him back a step in her enthusiasm. "Angel, I remember that night."  
  
He held her tightly, relief replacing a little of his apprehension over Gideon. "It's coming back, Buffy. It's all going to come back."  
  
Giles came down the stairs in time to hear Angel's words. "Excellent." He let out a quiet sigh. That was one of their problems seemingly solving itself. "Now then. The others are on their way as we speak. I suggest we 'boogie,' as you're fond of saying, Buffy."  
  
She glanced at Angel, positive he was thinking the same thing. "You know, Giles, I've only remembered a couple things, but that just sounds wrong coming out of your mouth."  
  
"Yes, well, there's a reason for that." He grabbed his car keys from the hook. "Shall we go?"  
  
*****  
  
"Explain to me *again* why I'm here?" Cordelia demanded petulantly, tossing her book onto the table. She slumped into a chair and looked around expectantly. "Well?"  
  
Xander stepped up for that one. "Encouragement, Cordy. And your wonderful personality." She shot him a disgusted look and reached for her nail file. Xander smiled triumphantly and turned back to his thick tome of Watcher Journal.  
  
The others were arrayed around the room, flipping through pages, paper and web type, searching for references on Gideon and his possible accomplices. The last one Willow had found was back in the '20's in Amsterdam, which had been absolutely no help with the current predicament.  
  
"Argh!" Buffy let out and shut her book disgustedly. "Is it always like this?" All eyes turned to her, her missing memory having been momentarily forgotten with the normality of research. "Somehow I really don't think I'm a whole lot of help in this department."  
  
Giles hid a smile behind a sip of tea. "Usually Willow and I handle this sort of thing, but in this instance I believe 'the more the merrier' would be more beneficial."  
  
She looked at him blankly. "Huh?"  
  
"We need everyone's eyes for this one, Buff," Xander translated, voice slightly superior. He started to turn another page, then sat up abruptly, shooting Giles a look. "And there you go with that ten words for one thing, again. I thought we'd trained you out of that."  
  
Giles returned the teen's look calmly before focusing on Angel. "I know I've already asked this, but are you sure there's nothing else you remember? No matter how small, it may help."  
  
Angel closed his eyes, concentration clear on his face. "Nothing. I never heard of him or Mariah after the fire."  
  
The librarian nodded slowly, wishing he had more to go on. "Perhaps we should also do a check of-"  
  
His words were drowned out by the sound of glass shattering. Three windows sprayed glass across the room as Buffy jumped to her feet, ready for a fight. Except no vampires had come through the windows. Only small tubes that were spraying a yellowish gas into the library, quickly giving the air a saffron-tinged haze.  
  
Buffy took a breath to speak, but doubled over coughing, the gas choking her. The others joined in the cacophony, unable to get a clear breath.  
  
Angel stared through the smoke, searching for attackers. He moved from one window to the next, but found no one. Something's wrong, his mind warned, the gas having no effect on him.  
  
Giles coughed, glasses falling to hit the floor with a clatter. Willow collapsed next to him, landing next to the glasses. Then it clicked in Giles's muddle mind. "Angel!" he choked out, falling to his knees. "Get Buffy out of here." His vision dimmed, colors fading to a dark gray. He tried to keep his eyes open and that was the last thing he thought.  
  
Angel's brain pieced it together just as Giles's choked voice came through the noise. Buffy, he thought desperately, searching through the haze to find her coughing and clutching a chair to stay upright. "Buffy," he said aloud to get her attention. He stepped over Xander's prone form and pulled her into his arms as her legs gave way.  
  
"Angel," she gasped weakly, gripping his shirt with all her remaining strength. "Wha- what's going on?"  
  
He wrapped one arm under her knees and lifted her high against his chest. "Some kind of knockout gas. It doesn't work on me. I'm getting you out of here."  
  
"But Giles and Willow and..." She pushed in vain again his chest, trying to break his hold.  
  
"It's too late for them," he told her gently. His heart ached at her crushed expression, wishing he could do more. But... "Giles wants you out of danger and I agree."  
  
She nodded weakly, too drained to do more. She slumped against him, eyes sliding closed.  
  
"Buffy?" he paused in his rush for the door for a moment, eyes roving her still features. She looked so beautiful and peaceful and unmoving. "Buffy!" he shouted before logic could kick its way through his brain. It's a knockout gas. You've smelled it before. Just get her out of here, he order himself harshly. Determinedly, he started for the door again, Buffy's heartbeat thrumming through him as a counterpoint to his footfalls.  
  
He was shifting his grip to open the doors when he felt it: the presence of another vampire. "Gideon." The name slipped uncalled from his lips as Buffy's dream flashed through his mind.  
  
The double doors flew open as Angel's fear was confirmed. "Angelus," Gideon said pleasantly. "What a nice surprise." He snapped his fingers to the five vamps behind him. They spilled into the room like dominoes, surrounding Angel and his precious cargo.  
  
Angel's jaw tightened in rage. Gideon had him trapped and he knew it. He couldn't fight all five of them and keep Buffy alive at the same time. Helplessness filled his soul, forcing rage into the open. His face changed, eyes glowing. His mind worked furiously, trying to figure a way out of this.  
  
"Oh, I know, I know, old chap," Gideon drawled sympathetically. "You're really stuck between a rock and a hard place." He held up a hand to forestall any comments. "Clichéd, true." His voice hardened as his face changed. "But I never was one to play fair, remember?"  
  
In agony, Angel closed his eyes. Gideon had more vamps than just these five here. He wouldn't be so cocky otherwise. Hearing the growling behind him, he swiveled cautiously, keeping Gideon in line of sight. Four other vamps were arrayed around the room, bringing the total to nine. Even with Buffy it would be a close call. Without her, impossible. He turned back to Gideon, focusing on him alone. The others were merely muscle. "What do you want?" His voice was a dangerous growl, causing the nearest vamps to back away a step.  
  
Gideon smiled triumphantly. "The Slayer, her Watcher, her friends and you, Angelus. We've got a lot of *catching up* to do, don't you think?"  
  
"You can't Turn her, Gideon," he practically pleaded, arms tightening around her limp form. Not his beloved Buffy, the one good thing in his entire existence. His soul chilled at the mere thought.  
  
"Watch me," he took a step forward, crowding Angel. "Oh, that's right, you will. Take them all," he commanded, his flunkies jumping to grab the prostrate humans.  
  
Angel could only glare hatred into Gideon's cold green eyes as Giles, Willow, Xander and Cordelia were carried quickly out the door. The five remaining vamps continued to surround him and Buffy. "Come now, Angelus, you wouldn't want to miss the fun, would you?" Gideon asked cheerfully, leading the way out the door. 


	6. Part 5

=============================  
  
Disclaimer: No, I don't own anything related to Buffy. I've also borrowed a couple lines from a very well known movie series. If you're a fan, you'll recognize them. (And no, I don't own any of that pie either.) Forgive me, I just couldn't resist.  
  
Author's note: Thanks again to Mom. Without her, I'd have forgotten all about Dessert.  
  
(c) October 1999, Eleri McCleod  
  
=============================  
  
*****  
  
Part 5  
  
*****  
  
Angel clenched his teeth, struggling to hold the rage in. Unused to feeling helpless, it created a path for the vampire to take control. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply to hold the change back. Slowly, the demon faded into the background again. He held himself still for a couple of extra seconds, locking the rage away. He needed a clear head to keep everyone alive until they could escape their confinements. Then he could put his demon to work.  
  
Gradually, he opened his eyes, taking in the scene analytically. A cage on his left held Giles, Xander, Willow and Cordelia, where they were motionless but unbound. Buffy was lying on the ground on his other side, chains attached to the wall about three feet up secured to her wrists. All of them were still unconscious from the gas. Subtly, he tested his own chains from his seated position on the floor, pulling them taut. Unfortunately, they stubbornly held fast to their concrete fastenings.  
  
Buffy hadn't moved since Gideon's lackeys had placed her on the cold ground. She was breathing, but there was no other sign of life. Sensing only one other vampire in the huge room, he decided to take advantage of the lack of guards. "Buffy," he murmured, hoping his voice would penetrate her drug-induced sleep. "Come on, wake up." Her head jerked slightly, as if straining to hear something. Him, maybe.  
  
He shifted around, trying to force the chains to let him touch her. But the closest he could get left him with over six impossible inches of empty space between them. "You've got to wake up," he urged a little louder, chancing that their vamp guard only had orders to 'guard.' "We need you awake. I need you." Her eyelids merely fluttered before sliding peacefully closed again. But her lips parted, letting a whisper of sound through. "That's it. Come on." He stared intently, willing her to wake. Abruptly, he realized all his muscles were tensed, actually quivering with his intense focus.  
  
Her eyes fluttered open, squinting to make sense of the blurred world around her. "Angel?" she sounded weak, confused. "What happened?" She slowly tried to raise herself off the ground, groaning when pins and needles shot through her sleeping arm. She looked distastefully at her chains, for some reason unsurprised by their presence.  
  
"Gideon used a knockout gas. There were too many of them for me to fight alone."  
  
Buffy stared at him, confused by the guilt and self-loathing heard clearly in his voice. She heard it, but couldn't understand it. "Don't do that, Angel." His gaze jerked to hers at the words. "If there had been anything you could have done, you would have." She felt as sure of her words as she was of her name. The past few hours she had spent with him had told her everything she needed to know. He was incapable of not doing everything possible.  
  
Slowly, the cloud dispersed from his eyes and a faint lessening of the tension appeared on his face. He looked at her outstretched hand, reaching fully to brush fingertips with her. "Thanks," he whispered, wishing he could hold her, needing more than the unfulfilling contact allowed by their chains.  
  
She smiled, warmed by the restricted touch. "So, what's the plan?" she tossed out, trying for a light tone. "I get the feeling this isn't the first time we've been to the Final Jeopardy round with only a hundred bucks."  
  
Angel simply stared at her for a moment, wondering where she came up with her pop-culture references. As for a plan... "Well, I was going to go with keeping you all alive." He, too, tried for the lighter side, but failed as badly as she had. He glanced over at the others piled on the hard ground. "We need to get them awake. Except they don't have your Slayer's healing system. It could be a while before they come to."  
  
She followed his gaze worriedly, still holding onto his fingers. "How long was I out?"  
  
"About an hour. I take it you still aren't remembering anything?"  
  
"Nope. Not one useful Slayer-like bit of information is being downloaded from the computer." She shook her head, annoyed. "I always have had lousy timing. Speaking of that, what time is it? And how'd they get us here?"  
  
"It's almost dawn." He could feel the movement of the sun as it came closer to bathing the land in light. Over time, he'd come to appreciate what he never had in life: the simple joy of feeling the sun warm his face. "We've got about an hour," he continued, pushing old wishes back into their slot. "They didn't give me any openings. There was always a vamp on one of you. I just couldn't risk it." His eyes darkened again, remorse filling him.  
  
"Angel," she pulled him back again. "We'll get out of this." Holding his gaze, she smiled cockily, winking. "I'm the Chose One, right? Piece-a-cake."  
  
Her grin was infectious, pulling his mouth up in a matching attitude. Their tiny moment was shattered by the voice that interrupted their solitary dialogue. Gideon, Angel thought darkly, whipping his head around to follow the vampire's movement across the room.  
  
"Isn't this chummy," Gideon drawled, taking in their linked fingers stretched across the cold floor. "I can't leave you alone for a moment, can I? But then again, you always were partial to a woman in chains, Angelus. Or is it Angel now? Things change so fast, you know." He settled himself against the cage, eyes burning coldly.  
  
Angel ignored the banter and got to the point. "What do you want, Gideon?" But he was afraid he knew already. He also knew he would die to prevent it.  
  
"An eye for an eye," Gideon's voice hardened hatefully. "You took a Slayer from me," he stared at Buffy for a long moment, "and I take a Slayer from you."  
  
Angel's fingers clenched convulsively over his love's. He could feel her slight tremble, her deep fear, but knew she was fighting to keep Gideon from seeing it. "I didn't kill Mariah," he said firmly.  
  
Gideon leaned toward his old 'pal,' close enough to breathe his rage upon, but not close enough for Angel to grab. "You didn't help her, either. You could have. You were powerful then, one of the most feared vampires of the time. Now look at you," he sneered. "Held by chains and your worry over these frail creatures. But I'll take care of that for you soon enough." Gideon stared hard into Angel's eyes, enjoying his moment of triumph.  
  
Then he turned to Buffy, who tried to look calm in the face of his total rage. "Welcome home, my dear. I believe it's time for us to get acquainted. Oh, don't worry, I know you're not quite feeling like yourself tonight. But I'm positive you'll remember everything when I'm finished with you."  
  
"Thanks," Buffy returned sarcastically, holding her fear deep inside. "But I'm okay where I am. The chains are actually pretty comfy. Yep, I'm comfy girl. That's me alright." She smiled brightly up at the vamp, hoping to knock some of that arrogance off of his face.  
  
Through his fear, Angel found a smile crossing his face at her words. Her irreverence would throw Gideon off, maybe enough to get them out alive. A grunt of pain came from the cage, pulling his attention. Giles was moving slightly, trying to shake off the effects of the gas. Come on, Giles, he silently encouraged, hope lifting a notch higher in his chest. He caught the other vampire's quick movement toward the Slayer peripherally, unease bringing him to his knees.  
  
Gideon ignored Buffy's smile, kneeling in front of her. "Let's not cause a problem, shall we? There could be all sorts of nasty consequences to pay." He pulled a large old-fashioned brass key from his pocket, waving it in her face. "Don't get too excited, love. We're just moving to a slightly more comfortable position." He shot Angel a knowing look. "It's so hard to feed when you're feeling cramped, isn't it?"  
  
Buffy focused on the key, shutting out Gideon's taunting words. He's going to take these off, she thought quickly, a plan mapping itself in her brain. Get the key, toss it to Angel, keep Gideon busy. No problem. She flexed her muscles, readying them for action. She met Gideon's eyes when he turned back to her. Prepared to see triumph, she almost flinched at the hatred that accompanied it.  
  
He grabbed the chain on her left hand, roughly pulling her and Angel apart. Wrapping the chain around her neck, he smiled. "It's not that I don't trust you, my dear, but I've met a few Slayers in my time." Satisfied that Buffy wasn't going anywhere with her hand trapped against her chest by the short chain, he pinned her legs to the ground with his knees.  
  
Swallowing, Buffy eased her head closer to the wall, trying to loosen the chain enough to make breathing easier. It didn't work. She felt the release of her right hand and shook it, wanting to draw Gideon's attention to it. That didn't work either. I hate single-minded vampires, she thought darkly, glaring at him.  
  
Angel spared a glance back to the cage. Giles was on his knees now. He squinted to focus without his glasses, which had obviously not made the trip from the library. He seemed to meet Angel's gaze for a quick second before moving to carefully shake Xander. Go, Giles, the vampire encouraged, thankful the Watcher was awake. When he turned back to Buffy, Gideon was gripping the chain around her neck with one hand, unlocking it with the other.  
  
Gideon tugged on the chain, causing her to wince. "Don't get any bright ideas now." He quickly shoved the key into his back pocket then took hold of her arm. Without warning, he yanked her up off the ground while unlooping the chain, sending her stumbling a few feet. He was on her before she could regain her balance, locking her in a chokehold. Buffy pulled on his arm, fighting to get air through her constricted throat. Her mind was blank but for the desire to live. She fought for breath, having no idea how to stop herself from blacking out.  
  
"Gideon!" Angel shouted, struggling futilely to rip the chains out of the wall, standing as much as their length would let him. The bastard had planned it perfectly. Too perfectly, in fact. He had taken Angel and the others out of the equation completely, using them against each other and leaving Buffy on her own, without even her ability as the Slayer to help her. Slayer, the word flashed through his mind, realization burning out of his subconscious.  
  
"Buffy," he called urgently, meeting her panicked gaze. "Let the Slayer take over. Don't fight it." She simply stared at him, still gripping Gideon's arm. "Instinct, Buffy."  
  
Giles paused in his attempt to wake the others. Instinct, he thought furiously. "Yes," he added his voice to Angel's. "Buffy, act. Don't think. Act on instinct." It had to work. She was their only hope.  
  
Dizzy now, she looked at them both. Act, don't think, something echoed inside her. Act, act, act, it repeated over and over. She closed her eyes, letting go of the fight, trusting in these two who cared so much for her.  
  
Gideon snarled at them both. "Shut up. I've won and we all know it." He smiled when he felt the Slayer's hands limply slide from his arm. His face changed, teeth lengthening and brow arching, anticipating the taste of Slayer blood. "It's been too long," he gloated to Angel, who still struggled with his bonds. Staring down at the girl in his arms, Gideon shifted her slightly, to allow access to the smooth, young neck. "Now," he purred, moving in for the kill.  
  
"No!" Angel and Giles shouted simultaneously.  
  
Now, Buffy's mind echoed. She instantly stopped using her legs for support, becoming deadweight in Gideon's arms. Not expecting the sudden change, he couldn't react fast enough, teeth scraping along her neck instead of sinking into the flesh. Reaching around his body, she grabbed for the key that was carelessly sticking out of his pocket and yanked it out as she fell to the floor. She pushed the pain in her neck to the back of her mind, grabbing Gideon's legs and pulling hard. He collapsed with a yell, but moved lightning fast to his knees.  
  
Buffy threw the key at Angel and jumped unsteadily to her feet. "I don't see a fat lady anywhere, do you?" she rasped, aiming a kick at Gideon's face. It didn't connect, but he fell back anyway, giving her a moment to breathe fully.  
  
Angel scrambled for the key at his feet, hope giving him speed. His fingers closed over the metal as he heard Gideon yelling for his lackeys. He got his left wrist free before the new combatants made it into the room. Fumbling with the second chain, he didn't see the vamp's foot until it connected with his hand, sending the key bouncing away. Simple reaction sent his hand after the foot, yanking hard to pull the vamp off balance. Quickly, he searched the ground for the key to find it a few feet away from the cage. Too far for him to reach and not close enough for the others to get to. "Great," he muttered disgustedly, kicking another vamp in the chest, frustrated rage letting the demon inside loose. "Giles," he called over to the librarian. "You need to get out of there."  
  
"I believe that's easier said than done," he shot back, finally able to shake Xander to consciousness. Quickly directing the teen to Cordelia and Willow, Giles tried to assess the situation through bleary eyes. Buffy seemed to be holding her own for the moment against Gideon without her Slayer memories, Angel had one arm free and also seemed to be okay and Gideon had more reinforcements that just streamed through the door. "Buffy, look out!" he warned as one of the new vamps tried to sneak up behind her. He let out a sigh of relief when the Slayer ducked, sending the vamp flying into Gideon.  
  
Spotting the key to Angel's chains, he quickly shed his belt, hoping the buckle would have enough weight to drag it closer. The first cast was short, the metallic clinking lost in the din around him. The second was perfect, catching the key in its loop. Painstakingly, Giles pulled the slack out of the belt, inching the key closer. "That's it," he urged, knowing as he spoke that it was illogical to encourage an inanimate object, and doing it anyway.  
  
The cage shuddered when Angel sent a vamp flying. Instinctively, Giles jumped back, saving his face, but losing his precarious hook on the key. "Bloody Hell!" He reeled in the belt again, preparing to throw.  
  
Sounds from around the room invaded his concentration. He could hear Cordelia and Willow asking groggy questions, the crashes of Buffy's uneven battle with Gideon, the subtle sound of a vampire dusting in mid-scream. He could even make out Angel's infuriated growling as he fought to keep his attackers from overwhelming his still chained form. The key was almost close enough to reach now. "Xander," Giles called urgently, still reeling in the belt. "Can you get the key?" The teen immediately dropped to his knees and reached through the bars, fingers straining for the metal.  
  
"Angelus!" Gideon shouted to his minions, throwing Buffy over the last standing alter-like platform in the room, stunning her for a moment. "Henry, get the traitor!" One of the vamps grabbed up a splintered piece of table leg and dashed across the room.  
  
Buffy's eye caught the quick movement as she struggled to get her breath back. None of her boyfriend's attackers had been a real threat until now. "Angel!" she warned anxiously, ducking a punch. Then there was nothing else she could do for him as Gideon and three of his lackeys formed a circle around her. Her entire body hurt, blood staining the back of her shirt where she had been thrown into the rough wall. She wasn't sure how much oomph she had left, but she did know she was nearing the bottom of the barrel. The Slayer instinct alone wasn't going to keep them all alive. She needed the training that accompanied it, but nothing was pulling the knowledge out of the recesses of her mind. You're going to be using a new diet plan if you don't think of something soon, missy, she told herself, barely avoiding a crushing blow to her head.  
  
Angel kicked the blond vamp in the stomach and hastily returned to his crouch, right wrist still held by the chain. He didn't have a piece of wood anywhere nearby so the best he could do was to fend them off. As long as they only come a couple at a time, he finished the thought as a new vamp joined the other three, a vamp who had Angel's desired broken-off piece of wood in his hand. "Oh, boy," he let out, steeling himself for the attack.  
  
"Got it!" Xander crowed triumphantly, jumping to his feet and waving the key like a flag.  
  
"Don't just stand there," Cordelia ordered, mostly recovered. "Open the door so we can get out of here."  
  
"Right and how do we open the door with the key for the chains?" He eyed the distance to Angel and prepped.  
  
"Aren't those things supposed to be one size fits all?"  
  
Ignoring the harping, he tensed to throw, then nearly dropped the damned thing when Gideon's voice thundered through the room.  
  
"Stop!"  
  
As if someone had hit a pause button, all movement ceased, a macabre tableau of danger. Buffy gulped in air, taking full advantage of the strange respite. Gideon had had everything perfectly planned up to this point. What was running through his twisted little mind now?  
  
"Now that I have your attention, maybe we can end all this fighting, as stimulating as it is." He smiled at Buffy, who gripped her own piece of wood a little tighter. "I believe this would be 'check,' my dear."  
  
She frowned, understanding the reference, but not the timing. She was nowhere near beat. Well, okay, getting there, she admitted to herself. Her gaze slowly followed Gideon's outstretched hand, trying to keep him in sight at the same time. What she saw made her heart stop.  
  
Angel was trapped, held against the wall by two vamps and his remaining chain. A third gripped him by the throat, the piece of table leg pressed firmly against his chest. Angel held perfectly still, knowing any movement could make the jumpy vampire send the makeshift stake through him. He stared at Buffy, a million thoughts flying through his head.  
  
She swallowed hard, heart plunging into her stomach. Her eyes flicked to Giles, pleading silently. He could only stare back from the locked cage, whole body radiating sorrow and frustration at his inability to help the Slayer or Angel.  
  
"We can do this one of two ways," Gideon glided over to Buffy, circling like a shark. He stopped at her side, allowing her the full view in front of her. "Actually," he smiled, "I lied. There's really only one. If I kill Angelus, he can't enjoy the loss of your lovely company. But don't think I won't send that stake through his heart if you force me to." He moved behind her, fingering her hair, her torn shirt. "I don't have a lot of patience these days, luv, so be quick about it."  
  
All breath left her in a rush. No matter how fast she moved, Angel would still die. And that was unacceptable. Buffy stared into her love's eyes, torn beyond words. The connection between them flared, even across the room, and she could hear his thoughts as if he'd spoken aloud. Fight, Buffy. The world needs the Slayer, not another vampire. Love and regret filled his soul and spilled into his eyes. He smiled gently at his reason for existing, hoping, praying she wouldn't surrender.  
  
The world needs the Slayer, she decided silently. But I need you, Angel. There will always be a Slayer. Abruptly, she turned to the demon at her side. Buffy longed to smack the self-satisfied smirk off his face and drive her stake straight through his demented heart. "Let them all go, Gideon." Her voice was dead, all life extinguishing, already dying out. Except for a small flame that was being fanned a little higher as she, Buffy, gave up a bit at a time.  
  
"Buffy, you can't," Giles called, knowing she would sacrifice herself to save even one of them.  
  
She looked back at him briefly. "I'm sorry," she whispered, unable to speak any louder. The little flame inside seemed to burn a little brighter as she took one last look at Angel. She faced Gideon in a blur of motion, determined to end it. "Well? I told you how this works. You don't get me until they're all walking out of here."  
  
Gideon stared at her, incredulous. "You think to order *me*?" Without warning, he backhanded her, sending her into the nearest vamp. They tumbled to the ground, Buffy lying stunned on top. A chorus of angry shouts erupted from the Scooby Gang as the vampire hissed and threw her off, smoke curling up from a cross-shaped burn on his cheek.  
  
She lay on the stone floor for a moment, tonguing her cut lip. The coppery taste of blood sent a wave of dizziness through her. But I'm already lying down, she thought stupidly, waiting for her eyes to clear. That little flame inside burst into a bonfire, sending sensation through her as time moved on around her.  
  
Cordelia's voice floated through her ringing ears. "You'd think they'd learn eventually, wouldn't you? If you hit her, she just gets mad."  
  
"Now isn't the time, Cordelia," Giles hissed, half-wishing she was still unconscious.  
  
"What? If I was a vampire I sure wouldn't want to make the Slayer mad."  
  
Typical Cordelia, Buffy thought, the spots blurring her vision mostly gone. Tensing her muscles to get up, she went over that one again. Typical? How'd I... It's back. Her heart began a furious pounding, adrenaline rushing through her veins. I'm back.  
  
Gideon focused on the self-absorbed girl. "Ah, Dessert," he drawled after a moment's reflection. "Truth be told, I'd rather forgotten about you. I guarantee it won't happen again."  
  
"What?" she repeated, feeling like a scratched CD, not understanding her role in Gideon's thoughts in the slightest.  
  
Willow, however, wasn't as dense. "Buffy's the main course, Cordy. You're the dessert." The quietly spoken words sounded like a gunshot through the silence.  
  
Slowly, Buffy moved to a crouch, adjusting her grip on the stake. She stared up at Gideon for a moment, a simmering anger bringing new light to her eyes.  
  
Angel ached to comfort her bruised and battered body as she slowly stood and wiped the blood from her lip. His own precarious situation forgotten, he couldn't help but notice her stance. It was different, more assured, more the trained fighter the Slayer was. Hope flared anew. Had Gideon inadvertently brought the Slayer back? Oh, I hope so, he drawled slowly. Then she met his eyes and he knew. A luminescence glowed through her, a confidence that had been missing since the fight in the cemetery. She held his gaze for a brief moment before turning back to Gideon.  
  
The vampire was still smiling smugly, sure of his victory. Idiot, the Slayer insulted silently, pasting an exhausted look on her face. She looked directly at him and dropped her stake, ignoring the startled gasps that accompanied the delicate tinkling as it hit the hard ground. Gideon raised his eyebrows at the symbolic gesture, mouth beginning to water at the thought of tasting her blood.  
  
Still facing him, she backed slowly toward Angel, shoulders defeated. "Don't stop me, Gideon," she warned when his eyes tightened suspiciously. "You owe me this." He didn't pretend to not know what she was talking about. Suddenly, he smiled, not a friendly sight, and nodded to the Fang Gang on Angel. She let out her breath in a rush, turning to walk the rest of the distance. The vamp holding the piece of table leg took a step away, wood still at the ready. The other two didn't move, looking decidedly uneasy as the Slayer approached.  
  
She stopped a step away, reaching with her right hand to caress Angel's cheek. "I have to," she whispered, her eyes sending a different message: Get ready. He smiled softly at her, drinking in her scent as she leaned toward him on tiptoe. Their lips met and clung, sending delicious little waves of sensation through her. Despite the situation, she wanted that kiss to go on and on. But she pulled back, coming to rest on the balls of her feet. Neither of them moved, waiting to see if Gideon would lose patience. He did.  
  
"That's enough of that now. I think I've been more than generous." He sounded like an indulgent parent.  
  
Buffy nodded resignedly, taking a step back. Table Leg sidled in to take her place again, relieved. Then the Slayer exploded into action. Swinging her arm up, she easily broke the vamp's elbow. He howled, dropping the wood. She snatched it from the air and gave him a yank, pulling him into the stake's path. Angel took advantage of the shocked non-movement of his captors and slammed them into each other, heads making a satisfying cracking sound. They sank to the floor, showered with vamp dust. Lightning fast, she stabbed one, then the other, whipping around to stop Gideon's furious advance.  
  
His face a mask of rage, he stared at her, finally noticing the subtle differences. They stood unmoving, vampire and Slayer, desperate fury and controlled violence. Buffy let the tension grow, a satisfied smile spreading over her features. Gideon broke first, his plans for revenge destroyed in a moment of blind gloating. "How?!" his voice thundered through them. "How did you regain the Slayer?"  
  
Buffy's mouth opened to tell him, but Cordelia was a heartbeat faster with the sarcasm. "Duh. I told you, you shouldn't have hit her." She crossed her arms over her chest, pleased indeed to get the upperhand with the fool that had the nerve to call her "Dessert."  
  
The Slayer drew in deep breaths, prepping for the last round of fighting. Gideon's remaining three goons were statues, waiting for some sign to let them know what he wanted to do. His eyes blazed yellow fire at her, features contorted hideously with rage. Looking confidently back at him, she twirled the splintered table leg around her fingers. There was only one possible way this was going to ending. Her smile widened as her normal sarcastic nature took over. "I believe this is checkmate."  
  
A furious roar erupted from the vampire. "Get her!" The others rushed forward, passing Gideon to try and surround Buffy. She met their charge, dusting one in an eyeblink. The other two fought desperately, but were obviously no match for the fully recovered Slayer.  
  
Xander watched the exchange of blows for a moment, hand tightening in reaction as a fist connected with Buffy's face. Gripping the warm metal of the key, he winced as his friend returned the blow with interest. The key. "Damn." Startled to find it still clutched in his hand, he looked to Angel, once again pulling on his chains. The vampire looked up when Xander called his name. Spotting the key in the teen's grip, he smiled, nodding toward his free left hand. Xander reached through the bars, gauging the distance carefully. The toss was perfect, landing softly into Angel's waiting fingers. "I knew I should have played baseball," he stated, expecting a response from at least Cordelia. But no one was paying attention to the interchange between him and Angel. Their focus was on Buffy and the last vamp.  
  
The Slayer ducked under a punch, smoothly taking the vamp's feet out from underneath him. He landed hard, actually bouncing once before she drove the stake home. Vampire dust exploded around her, giving her a shimmering shadow as she scanned the huge room for Gideon. Frowning, she thought he had escaped, until her eyes caught a movement at the entry to one of the numerous tunnels of the city. They stared at each other across the distance, a moment frozen in enmity.  
  
In a blur of motion, she sent the stake flying through the air, a whizzing sound trailing behind it. Gideon's eyes never left hers as he waited, stone still, for the piece of wood to reach him. Against her will, she felt a grudging respect for the demon. She had just sent an almost certain death to him, and he merely stood there, waiting. Why?  
  
Time slowed, causing the flight to last much longer than the split second in which it actually occurred. Then suddenly, it was there, embedding itself deep into his chest, sending him back a step. Blood appeared on his shirt, the wood actually quivering with the force of her throw. But he didn't disintegrate, didn't fade into dust, didn't fall to the floor.  
  
"I missed." The whispered words of disbelief hovered in the air between them. The Slayer wasn't supposed to miss. It didn't happen. But it just had.  
  
Gideon pulled the stake from the bloody wound, leaving a deep hole that glistened wetly. She focused on the entry point, still wondering how she'd missed. The throw had been too high, failing to hit the heart by almost an inch. The vampire saluted her with the red-tinged wood, then calmly turned his back and walked away down the tunnel, souvenir firmly in grasp.  
  
"I missed," she repeated, feet frozen to the floor. Had she done it on purpose? Had she let him live? Or had it just been a leftover bit of disorientation from the amnesia? Buffy shut the questions off abruptly, putting them into a box to go over later. If ever, she thought darkly.  
  
"Buffy," Angel's soft voice broke through her inner-monologue. She whirled, throwing her arms around him. He enveloped her in his embrace, her warmth flooding through him. She clung to him, murmuring his name. "I thought I'd lost you," he whispered, throat tight with emotion. "Buffy, I-" His words were cut off by a ghostly echo that filled the chamber, sending a shiver down their bodies as one.  
  
"It's not over, Slayer."  
  
They stared at one another, acknowledging the threat, but more focused on each other. Angel's lost words hovered between them, wanting to be completed. His eyes glowed with love, hand caressing her neck. She smiled up at him, basking in the feelings that flowed between them.  
  
"Hey! Excuse me," Cordelia's strident voice cut through the warm silence like a finely honed blade. "Could you get me out of here? I do have a life to get back to, you know."  
  
Five pairs of eyes stared at her, relief making them giddy. The laughter started simultaneously, leaving Cordelia to glare at them all. She leaned, annoyed, against the cage, arms crossing her chest. "I *so* need to stop hanging out with you people." 


	7. Epilogue

=======================  
  
Disclaimer: See the first two parts.  
  
Author's notes: As you can see by the date, I wrote this a long time ago. Thanks again to those who read it then and took the time to tell me how much you enjoyed it. I loved hearing from you all. Hopefully you enjoyed reading this story as much as I did writing it.  
  
(c) October 1999, Eleri McCleod  
  
=======================  
  
*****  
  
Epilogue  
  
*****  
  
The breeze was filled with the scent of damp earth as it moved through the trees, sending blonde hair fluttering briefly before settling back onto a pair of small shoulders. The night was calm, a welcome rest after the danger of the night before. The couple walking hand in hand had seen one lone vampire the entire night, but had fled as if it had just come across the Hounds of Hell when it saw them.  
  
Angel glanced down at the young woman at his side. Her face was tilted down, hiding her features, but he knew there was something she was wanting to say by the set of her shoulders. He said nothing, letting her decide to begin on her own, gently stroking the tiny hand in his, giving comfort where he could.  
  
Buffy stopped suddenly, turning to face the man she no longer considered a vampire. Meeting his eyes, she saw only concern and love warming the chocolate brown orbs. Shame filled her, tightening her gut and throat. "I'm so sorry."  
  
Stepping close enough to feel the warmth from her body, he squeezed the delicate hand in his. "For what?"  
  
"I hurt you."  
  
"It doesn't matter," he assured her instantly, trying to make the darkness in her eyes disappear. The weekend had been hard, no doubt about it, but it was over and they had all made it out alive. That's all that really mattered. And he tried to tell her that before she could continue the self-flagellation, but she was determined.  
  
"But it does matter. To me, I mean. It's not like I didn't know what was going on." Hand slipping free of his, she paced ahead of him, turning back without seeing the concrete before her. "I remember everything. It's like I was watching my life on a TV. I could see and hear, but I couldn't make the picture do what I wanted. I would scream at myself to do this or that and neither would happen." Finally, she halted in front of him, looking anywhere but in his eyes. "I had no control and no way to take control. And because of that I hurt you. Which is the last thing I ever wanted to do."  
  
Stepping forward, he pulled her gently into his arms. "I told you it doesn't matter." He threaded his fingers through her hair, soothing them down its length. "I know you couldn't control what was happening just as I knew you'd get everything back if given a little bit of time." Placing his fingers under her chin, he raised her gaze to meet his. "You just had to have a little faith in yourself."  
  
Smiling sheepishly, she placed her hand on his, still under her chin. "You seem to have enough faith for both of us."  
  
"I have been around a bit longer." The unusual teasing reference to his age startled a chuckle out of her, filling the quiet night with sunshine.  
  
Letting a smile spread over her features, she jumped up on tiptoe to give him a kiss. "Well, the next time I lose my memory, I'll know who to go to."  
  
Angel let out a bark of laughter before taking her hand and pulling her back to a walk. "Come on. Let's get you home. Your mom is probably beginning to think you live at Willow's."  
  
"Nah," she denied, once more pulling him to halt. "We've got a little time left."  
  
The vampire with a soul smiled tenderly down into his natural enemy's eyes, still shaken by the emotion he read there. "I guess it's still early enough."  
  
Sliding her arms over his chest to meet behind his neck, the Slayer leaned full against him. Angel's arms wrapped around her, tightening their connection. "We've got plenty of time." Their lips met, drawing shivers from both.  
  
The vampire kept their kiss light, the warmth of her body the flaring like the sun on his skin. As her hair slid over his fingers, her words echoed through him once again. They had plenty of time indeed. 


End file.
